Drabbles, Schmabbles! The Sokkla100 Challenge
by lotusunset
Summary: Join me, Miss Frerak, as I go on the most epic and amazing adventure ever! What's this epic and amazing adventure you ask? The Sokkla100 challenge, of course! 15/100 'drabbles' complete!
1. 100 Death

Welcome, dearest victim! You are about to be exposed to the madness, the insanity that is known as Sokkla. I should hope you enjoy it.

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**100. DEATH **

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Azula's time among the living was drawing to a close. She had been sentenced to death, execution by hanging. She chose to die by hanging, of course. Even in death she wanted to be above everyone else.

As much as everyone loathed the princess, Aang still didn't want to see her die. His argument was that Zuko had been their enemy but was now a close friend. They had given him another chance, why not award Azula the same honor? The Fire Lord insisted upon her death, though, claiming that Azula would never change.

In a last ditch effort to save the Princess from execution, Sokka reluctantly took on the challenge of proving that there was something that resembled a beating human heart in her chest. He really didn't want to think of Azula as anything more than his enemy, the horrible monster who had hurt Suki so much...But that insatiable need for a challenge, a puzzle to put together was unfortunately winning him over, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

The first few days he spoke to her, for the most part, she only answered his questions with questions of her own. Although it seemed he wasn't getting anywhere with her like this, but he could see something in her eyes. Something that wasn't completely murderous. Sokka didn't want to fool himself, but by the forth day he had visited her cell, he could have sworn she looked...almost happy to have contact with someone other than the guard who brought her meals. As he was leaving that day, she stopped him.

"Wait," She demanded, "How are...Mai and Ty Lee doing...?"

"Do I look like I'd know that?" Sokka asked her back, a little smirk on his lips. Azula's eyes lost any form of emotion aside from bitterness as they narrowed and shot daggers at the Water Tribe boy, "Both are fine," Sokka answered her truthfully," Mai is with Zuko and Ty Lee ran off to join the circus again."

"How did they avoid this?" She questioned, both her hands curled around the prison bars.

"Fire Lord Zuko and his counsel decided that they wouldn't be much of a threat...They only did what they did because of you."

Azula fell silent after that, allowing him to leave at last.

The next day, day five, they didn't talk much...but the way she was sitting before she realized that he was standing there was enough. She sat on her cot, leaning against the wall, holding her legs to her chest. Her eyes were full of emptiness, blank and a little red.

"Good afternoon, Princess. here's your lunch," Sokka greeted her, setting her tray filled with food on the floor and sliding it under the bars. When she finally realized he was there, she rubbed her eyes a little before sliding off her cot, staring at him with typical deadly intent.

"Why do you insist on feeding me? You're too good to be soliciting with a pathetic prisoner such as myself," She spat, sitting down on the floor behind her tray. She grabbed her stale piece of bread and started nibbling on it. Sokka had to think for a moment, because he knew she was right. He was too good to be doing this, and by all means he shouldn't have been doing this, it was only his need for a challenge that kept him coming back each day, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Death by starvation isn't pretty, and I thought you wanted to be hanged?"

"Does it really matter anymore? An ugly death for an ugly person is fitting, is it not?"

A week had finally passed. It didn't seem nearly that long to Sokka, though. Time was slipping by too quickly and he still hadn't been able to convince anyone, including himself, that Azula didn't deserve to die. Okay, so maybe he was starting to believe it a little, that there really was more to the princess than she ever let on.

From what he gathered so far, she was, in fact, partly human. She had emotions, just like everyone else, she was just very good at hiding them, lying to cover things up. She cared about her friends, she cared about Zuko, and it seemed like she was honestly growing afraid that her death was near.

Sokka was trying a different approach that night. He had seen plenty a Fire Nation soldier get out of jail by pleading insanity. If there was proof of some one's insanity, they could not be incarcerated. Sokka hoped that maybe he could find something that could prove Azula was insane, aside from word of mouth.

That's why Katara found him he was surrounded in scrolls dealing with mental diseases, scrolls documenting her family's strange history and plenty of others too. He sat with his head on the desk, his candle nearly extinguished. He was snoring up a storm.

Katara sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder, shaking him.

"It's late, you should go to bed," She told him, he only mumbled and swatted at her hand, insisting he was only closing his eyes for a few minutes.

"Sokka, I know you better than that, you're not just resting your eyes and if you don't get up now, you'll be here all night and then you'll be complaining about how you hurt all over because you didn't get a good night's sleep," she explained, shaking him again. While that was truth, she was growing rather concerned about him. It troubled her how hard he was working at this, he was fighting to save the life of someone he hated. It troubled her how he could set aside his prejudice just for a challenge. It was like a game to him, she knew it.

"But I think I'm onto something..." Sokka mumbled, picking his tired head up off the desk.

"Just go to bed, Sokka, you'll be doing all of us a favor..."

Once the waterbender had left, Sokka did drag himself off to bed. Katara was right, she always was, he just wasn't going to let her know she had won that one.

Sokka was pretty sure he could prove her insanity after spending the night in the palace library, but he wanted a back up plan to...And he just didn't buy the insanity thing either. There had to be something besides that. Insanity was just one piece of the puzzle. He had to step it up, though, only one week before he would be forced to make his proposal to save her.

Azula was well aware that this was her last week to live, and it seemed to be hitting her hard. She was much more conversational the ninth day, more than she had ever been. Sokka had never expected to carry on such an intelligent conversation with an enemy before. He actually found what she had to say quite interesting. He learned a great deal about her that day, the fact she loved to study science, but hated the mathematics that went along with it. She was named after her grandfather (And it meant demon, how fitting.) Both she and Zuko were mildly allergic to pomegranates and they quite often used to eat them just for the purpose of getting sick so they wouldn't have to attend school that day.

All of those little details would have been nothing but trivial nonsense coming from anyone else, but from Azula...it just meant something more. Sokka found that he couldn't think of her the same way anymore, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see her as a ruthless demon hellbent on destruction. She was human. She had flaws. He just couldn't hate her.

When there were only four days left till her execution, their conversations weren't just about trivial things anymore. These conversations were really starting to mean something. She was bringing down whatever walls she held around herself and she was letting him take a look inside.

"My mother died in a raid when I was a kid," Sokka answered her, they leaned back to back against the prison bars.

"At least you had her for part of your life...My mother hated me...She thought I was a monster...She was right...But...I always wondered what I'd be like if she had...loved me like she...loved Zuko..." Azula replied sadly. If she had been any other girl, and if metal bars didn't separate them, he would have wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her, trying to make things seem alright. Instead, he tilted his head towards her a little bit with a sigh.

"If it makes any difference...I don't think you're a monster."

Azula snorted, trying to hold back a laugh.

"You're lying."

"You may find the need to lie, but I don't, not about something like that, at least. You may be my enemy, but you're no monster. That's what I thought of you two weeks ago, but not now," Sokka explained himself.

"What changed your mind...?"

"The fact that you can't possibly be a monster if you're human."

"What could possibly make me human?"

"You have a heart buried somewhere in there."

"So what if I do?"

"I'll keep your secret, promise," He told her with a smirk. She turned to look at him, she was taken aback by his statement. There was something akin to gratitude present in her golden eyes. She quickly grabbed a hold of herself though, turning away from him again, crossing her arms against her chest.

"You don't have to promise me anything, peasant," Azula grumbled in an attempt to lock herself up again. Angry insults were just her defense mechanism, but inside, she was honestly starting to wonder...if it had been a different time, a different place, if she hadn't been tied to her duties as a princess, if he was tied to his as a warrior...could there have ever been anything between them, anything other than misplaced aggression and hate?

No. That was absurd. It didn't matter anyway. She was going to die in three days anyway and there was nothing anyone could do to stop that.

The really pathetic thing was, though, Sokka was starting to have similar thoughts.

"I'll promise you whatever the hell I want to," He insisted before he heard his name being called, echoing through the dank dungeons. He stood to leave, brushing off what dust and dirt he could.

"...Will you be back...?" Azula asked him, trying to hide the fact that she'd miss his company.

"Do you want me to come back?" Sokka looked down at her, staring into her eyes. She didn't respond, but she didn't need to. The look in her eyes was more than enough, "I'll come back, I promise."

It was Aang who had been calling him so urgently. He wanted to know if Sokka had anything else that could help their cause of saving Azula's life since they had last spoken about it.

"I think I do," Sokka replied, "She sorta asked me if I'd come back later tonight."

"That's something, why do you think she'd ask that of you?"

"She knows she's going to die in a few days. I think she's...afraid."

Katara laughed as she walked past the boys who sat in the gardens near the turtleduck pond.

"Azula? Afraid of anything? That's pretty funny, Sokka," Katara commented, leaning up against a tree.

"I'm not joking, Katara. You're not the one who has been spending time each day with her, talking with her," Sokka snapped, his voice oddly dark and serious for his normally sarcastic personality.

"I just don't see the point...Even if you save her from being executed, she's going to spend the rest of her life in prison," Katara defended herself.

"Some life is better than no life, "The avatar explained, "Would you want to die just because of the way you were raised?"

"Like Zuko said, she's not going to change," Katara growled.

"Zuko changed," Sokka and Aang chorused.

Katara walked off then, a little miffed. She expected Aang to be so forgiving of Azula, but she didn't expect it from Sokka, especially after that stunt she had pulled on the day of black sun.

With the sun setting behind him, Sokka walked up the hill to the prison. He wasn't going to go back on his promise to the princess, after all.

"I can't believe you actually came back," Azula chided as she paced back and forth in her cell, hearing his footsteps echo through the hall.

"Why wouldn't I? I promised you, didn't I?" Sokka said once he was in front of her cell. She stopped her pacing, grabbing hold of the metal bars. Silence fell between them as they simply stared at each other for a moment until Azula spoke.

"Why have you been coming here? You don't have a reason to be..."

"Tell me, Azula," He whispered, stepping closer to her and gazing deep into her eyes. He placed his hands over hers. A look of confusion fell over her as her eyes fell to their hands. She felt his hands, but she didn't believe they were there, "If you had your freedom, what would you do with it..?"

"Why the hell would you ask me something like that?" Azula barked, pulling her hands away from him. In her anger, her frustration, fire erupted from her fists, lighting up the dungeon. Sokka stepped back towards the stone wall, reminded of how dangerous she had the potential to be.

"You're not the person they think you are, I know-" Azula cut him off, a look in her eyes that Sokka just wasn't used to seeing anymore.

"Of course I am, I'm the perfect war machine, I'm the terrible demon they all fear and more!" the princess snarled, letting blue flames appear in her fists again.

"Wow, Zuko was right, you do always lie. Not only to others, though. You lie to yourself too."

"What?"

"Oh, so its alright for you to dig down deep into someone and thrash around, but no one can do the same to you?" Sokka smirked, he knew he was gaining the upper hand with her, "Now that's just not fair!" Ah sarcasm.

"Life isn't fair, dumbass, you should know that by now..." She mumbled, crossing her arms and looking down at the floor. She couldn't let him see her face right now, he'd see weakness.

"Of course I know that, I'm not as dense as you think I am," Sokka shot back at her.

"I never said I thought you were dense!"

"But you were thinking it!"

"Just shut up, before I melt your face off."

Sokka sighed, wanting to keep his face in tact, "Fine...Just know that I want an answer to my question tomorrow morning."

"...What question?"

"What would you do with your life if you weren't here," Sokka stated for her one last time before leaving her for the night. He had some things he had to write down, he had some more puzzle pieces to fit in.

The next morning, Sokka brought Aang and Toph along with him to see Azula. They would stay far enough away that Azula wouldn't know they were there, but they could still hear what she was saying. Sokka neglected to even inform Katara of what they were doing for he knew she would insist on coming along, but she'd end up losing her temper, alerting Azula to their secret presence. That would defeat the purpose. Toph and Aang were here to be witnesses, to hear for themselves what Azula had to say.

"Not a peep out of either of you, if Azula knows I'm not the only one down here, she won't be truthful," Sokka explained before they entered.

"Like she'd be truthful anyway...?" Toph asked, both boys turned on her, glaring. She couldn't see the gesture, but she sure as hell could feel it.

Once he had put them in their places, Sokka calmly walked down the hall to Azula's cell. She was sitting on the ground, still eating her crude breakfast.

"Here, have an apple," she said, throwing the red fruit up and through the bars with expert accuracy. Sokka caught it, looking down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't you want it?" He asked her, tossing it from hand to hand.

"No, I hate apples," Azula explained, swallowing a piece of bread. Sokka looked over the fruit a bit, rubbing it on his tunic. It didn't look rotten or anything. He took a bite out of it, chewed and swallowed.

"Its a pretty good apple, you're missing out," Sokka told her, taking another bite of it.

"They make me gag and I'd rather not take the chance of having to sit in my own vomit for the next two days."

"Understandable. Do you have an answer?" Sokka asked, heading right to the reason he was here so early this morning.

"Well, what do you want me to tell you?" She asked, pushing her tray off to the side.

"The truth," He replied.

"Fine, if I had my freedom, I'd put an organization together that's devoted to world peace!" Azula exclaimed sarcastically. Sokka sighed. Maybe he had been rubbing off on her more than he had thought.

"I highly doubt that's what you really want, Princess."

"If I had my freedom...I'd move as far away from people as I possibly could, some uncharted island perhaps...Just as long as I could be alone," She explained truthfully.

"Why do you hate people so much? You're a princess, you should love people."

"Since when am I a normal princess?"

"Good point-"

"But if you must know, its because if I'm away from people, I won't have to deal with people. People are cruel and selfish, they take everything for granted. They're all too blind to see all of the good things they have in their lives and only see the bad. If I don't see it, then I won't be tempted to..." She figured he could fill in the blank. He was smart enough.

Of all the things she had told him over the past two weeks, this was the most shocking. In just those few words, he learned more about her than he figured anyone else knew. That said so much about her life, it nearly completed the puzzle. Now he could see what fueled her, what drove her to do what she did, for the most part, anyway. Of course there were still pieces missing, but there was enough there that now Sokka could see the big picture, not just little snippets here and there. He didn't quite know what to say to her.

"Azula, I," He started, but never finished.

"It would be...much appreciated...if you left me alone...now..." Azula said, her voice soft, scarcely above a whisper. She went and sat down on her cot, making sure her hair fell in her face so he couldn't see her eyes.

Sokka placed a hand on the prison bars, as if touching them would bring her closer to him. He couldn't really tell, but it seemed as if she were hiding something, something she was ashamed of.

"She must be crying..." Sokka thought to himself

"Do you regret it?" He asked her, knowing she'd know what 'it' referred to. She didn't move when she spoke, and she didn't give him an yes or no answer. Sokka didn't really expect her to though. Like always, she answered with another question.

"How many little girls do you know want to grow up to be sociopaths...?"

Seeing she wished for privacy, Sokka left her, going to retrieve Aang and Toph. Both looked a little shocked. When the trio was outside, Aang finally spoke up.

"I know you said that she wasn't...who we thought she was...but I wasn't expecting all of that out of her," Aang said, his voice broken up a little.

"Hmph," Sokka snorted, "Neither was I," He said quietly. Toph, for once, was unable to think of anything to add.

Sokka barely slept that night. It was the night before her supposed execution, the night before he'd have to plead to save her life. All of his notes, all of this theories were sitting in his bag at the foot of his bed. Although the puzzle was incomplete, Sokka hoped he could plausibly fabricate any holes in his plan.

In an act that was most out of character for him, Sokka got out of bed shortly before sunrise. He was giving up on sleep. He quickly dressed himself and grabbed his sword. He wouldn't need it where he was going, but he still felt more comfortable with it on his person.

Before he made his proposal to the Fire Lord, Sokka wanted to see Azula, no, he needed to see her. This would be his last chance to get any remaining bits out of her, his last chance to see her if he didn't succeed in saving her. He ran the whole way there, not willing to waste a second, for whatever reason his mind was feeding him at the moment.

He came to a sudden stop when he reached her cell. He breathed heavily as he stared down at her. She stared back up at him, her eyes a bright red. She wiped them, making sure she was standing up as tall, as straight as she possibly could.

"What are you doing here?" She asked bitterly.

"I had to see you," He couldn't lie to her, not now. She didn't question him on that matter further, she didn't want to know why he needed to see her, lest it sway her decision that her death was really best for the world.

"I'm going to die today," She stated simply, tearing her eyes from his. When she said that, realization hit Sokka like an avalanche. She really was going to die today if he couldn't make a valid argument. This girl, who was the same age as Katara, was going to be put to death if he didn't save her.

Now wasn't the time to be pessimistic. Right now, he had to pull a page out of Katara's book and show nothing but optimism, even if it was fake.

"Do you want to die?" He whispered, curious to what she'd respond to that.

"It's what's best for the world, is it not?" Azula replied, still refusing to look up at him.

"Your death is what the world wants, not what you want. What do you want, Azula?" He rephrased his question a bit.

"I'm fourteen years old, what the hell do you think I want?"

"You don't want to die, do you?"

"I do, but I don't. Either way, I'm going to be alone, so why does it matter?"

"I thought you liked being alone?"

"Azula always lies, Azula always lies."

"Come here," Sokka beckoned for her, sticking one hand through the bars and reaching for her.

"I don't have to listen to a stupid peasant like you."

"Dammit Azula, just come here," Sokka growled. She obliged. He slipped his other hand through the bars and let both his hands gently hold her face, forcing her to look up at him, "I promise you, you won't die today...You're going to die a little old lady and you'll never be alone again. Is that understood?"

"I'm going to die today and that's that," Azula said sternly, "There's nothing you or anyone can do to stop that. What purpose is there in letting me live? The monster never has a happy ending in fairy tales. " Sokka's hands slid off her cheeks, falling back down to his sides.

"This isn't a fairy tale."

"I'm still going to die."

She was right. She was still going to die.

All of those days conversing, all of those nights researching. All of it was completely in vain. Sokka had made such a valiant effort too. Everything he had said had been strategically planned, every single last word. But it wasn't enough, even with Aang and Toph backing him up.

He had failed.

Now as sunset came, the city gathered in the center to witness the event. Children were laughing, playing, singing. All the people were grinning from ear to ear, except Sokka.

There were to be three executions, an Admiral, a General and Azula. As the Admiral was ushered up on the platform, Sokka could only stare up at the man, his eyes devoid of anything. Sokka didn't care about this man, this nameless man had lived his life. He was middle aged and battle scarred.

Sokka wondered what more he could have done. If there was anything more he could have done.

With a pull of the lever, the Admiral was sent down, the sound of his cracking neck masked by the cheering of the crowd. When it died down, the general was marched up, rope forced around his neck, then tightened.

Sokka hadn't wanted to take this upon himself. He had only done so for Aang...right? Then what kept him going back to her? If he truly didn't care about her at all, why had he been so passionate about solving her? Why was it affecting him so much now that she was going to be gone forever in just a matter of minutes? He couldn't possibly...could he? No, that was absurd. Completely asinine.

She was just a challenge, a stupid challenge he had failed to meet.

As the general fell, the crowd's cheering picked up again, even louder than after the admiral's death.

So this was it. This would be the last time he'd ever see her. Sokka felt a pain in his chest and a knot in his throat. This pain, it was so similar to that of when he had learned of Suki's whereabouts, but when Azula came into view, it strengthened.

Although she was torn, tattered and all tied up, looking far beyond her fourteen years, she had never looked more beautiful. With her hair blowing against the blood red sun, her head still held up high, she just seemed to glow. She could accept her fate...while Sokka could not. As the rope was slipped around her neck, her eyes started to scan the crowd until they landed on his. Time seemed to freeze as their eyes locked together, drinking in as much of the other as they possibly could.

She smiled, not a smirk, just a smile, a pretty little smile. Sokka couldn't return the gesture as his vision grew blurry. He blinked it away, releasing the tears to fall down his cheeks. It only made her smile grow as the executioner tightened the rope around her neck.

As strange as it was, he didn't want to lose her, and he still didn't want to accept her fate, even as the executioner grabbed a hold of the lever and started to pull. More tears fell from his eyes as she fell from grace. Unlike for the other executions, Sokka heard the crack, that deafening crack that signaled her final departure, and then he realized _why_ this was effecting him so.

He fell to his knees as the crowd then erupted with cheers.

_'How can these people be so happy?_' He thought. They had just lost their princess, a young woman who they had loved and adored for so long. They had worshiped anything she even breathed on. Sokka should have been the one cheering, but he wasn't. He was down on his knees, crying like a baby as he watched them haul her corpse away.

All of this, all of these tears, they weren't because he had failed to put a puzzle together. That wasn't it at all.

In a strange, twisted way, he _loved_ her, but he _failed_ her.

Sokka reluctantly stood up, wiping his eyes with his arm. He pushed himself through the celebrating crowd until he was far enough away that the noise was now a dull roar. He needed to be alone now. There was a new puzzle for him to piece together.

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...So this wasn't a drabble. Big deal. Leave me a nice review anyway to encourage more Sokkla100 madness?

--Frerak


	2. 74 Lips

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**074. Lips**

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Whatever she was saying, Sokka wasn't listening. It was all going on one ear and straight out the other. The warrior was just a little preoccupied at the moment.

He heard her voice, of course, but whatever she was saying, it sounded awfully seductive as he watched her lips move with the sultry sound of her voice. They were hypnotic, those blood red lips of hers.

When in doubt, blame hormones, Sokka concluded because now, there wasn't anything he wanted more than her lips. He wanted to feel them, taste them, regardless of to whom they belonged.

He leaned closer to her as she spoke, his muddled mind twisting her words into exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Would you like to die?" turned into,"Would you like to kiss me?"

"Yes," he murmured, so close to closing the gap that separated their lips, but then all he saw was a bright blue light and her sly, smirking lips.

Then everything went black.

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	3. 99 Wedding

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**099. Wedding**

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Out of the three of us, I had always expected to be married first. I had expected to be married off to some disgusting admiral three times my age the moment I turned sixteen. That was just something that came with the princess perk package. I wasn't even a teenager anymore, though. I had just turned twenty this past summer.

Mai had gotten married a few years earlier, to Zuko, of course. They had a son now. Today, however, was Ty Lee's big day. There was pink every where, much to my dislike. I know weddings are supposed to be happy days, but this was just ridiculous. I didn't even think having this much pink in one place, at one time was possible. Mai looked nauseous at the sight of it all. Zuko could only snicker to himself.

After the boring ceremony, there was of course, dinner. As I daintily ate mine, I watched those who surrounded me like a hawk. It seemed like everyone had a significant other here, all except me. I was fully convinced that I'd never get married. I'd be doomed to live my life completely alone. At this point, I would have gladly married Admiral Three-times-my-age. In another respect, however, not having a husband could be my way of showing off the fact I'm above such trivial matters. I know I'm a habitual liar, but that's just not a lie I want to tell myself. Maybe when I'm thirty. For now, I'm still like any other woman of my age. My fantasies may be filled with more pain than most, but they are still there and not to be ignored.

I am a princess, and a princess gets whatever she wants, when she wants it.

After dinner, the real festivities began. As usual, I simply clung to the wall. Men rarely came to speak to me, and I didn't see any who were worth speaking to on my own. Not that I'd take the chance of making a complete and utter fool of myself.

As I watched all the dancing around me, I simply sipped at my drink, minding my own business...When that stupid, insolent Water Tribe boy...Though he was hardly a boy anymore.

I could tell he was drunk. If it wasn't the way he was walking that gave it away, what he did next surely did.

"Hey, Princess," he slurred with a sly smile.

"Evening, Sokka...I see you're enjoying yourself," I replied, trying to melt myself into the wall. Even if he was completely inebriated, it was still only a matter of time before I'd say something foolish.

"Of course...Azula?" He called my name. I raised an eyebrow, staring at him, trying to read him. It was hard to read drunks though.

"What?" I answered.

"...Did you know...that that there dress you have on there...is really sharp? Like, so sharp you could sink a battleship?" He paused for a second, "...Because its so sharp?"

I looked up at him, my eyes wide with shock. Shock wasn't something I expressed very often either. I just couldn't believe...he said that to me.

"...Would you like to dance?" I asked him, setting my drink down on a table. Sokka held out his hand with a goofy smile. I slipped my hand in his and we danced the night away. By the end of the night, both of us had been so drunk we barely remembered a thing. Zuko told me, though, that Sokka and I had been the last couple on the dance floor, oblivious to the fact the music had stopped playing.

About two years later, we ended up being the last couple on the dance floor again. Just this time neither of us were drunk

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I hope the grammar and such isn't too horrible on this... rawr.

--frerak


	4. 13 Blood

_**WARNING!!!**_

_** THERE IS GRAPHIC CHARACTER DEATH BELOW, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!**_

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**13. BLOOD **

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There wasn't much reason for her to even bother with him. It was hardly a contest, none at all. At this point in time, she was simply toying with him, a game of cat and mouse. She did, however, hold a little more hatred in her heart for him that the rest of the Avatar's companions. He, Sokka, had dared to touch her, demand things from her. While she commended him for his bravery, she knew it was only because of that stupid wench.

He was well aware that she was only keeping him alive for her own sick amusement now. Sokka was covered from head to toe in burns, yet he still fought on, his icy eyes still burning bright.

"Why don't you just give up? There's no sense in fighting me, you'll never win," Azula sighed, boredom evident in her voice.

"I'd never...give you that...satisfaction!" Sokka spat as breathed heavily, wiping blood from his lip.

"If you give up like a good little boy, I'll make your death merciful," She shrugged with a smirk.

With the blood red sun shining behind him, Sokka charged at her with a demented cry, his sword pointed at her. She laughed, dodging him easily and managing to sneak her hand between his on the sword's handle. With ease she threw him off balance and took the black blade from him. While Azula wasn't the greatest with a sword in her hands, she was sure she could best him in his current state.

He fell backwards in a heap, but as soon as his sword had left his hands, he was reaching for his boomerang. He threw it weakly towards her. She dodged it as it left his hand and as it came back too.

"You don't know what being merciful is," Sokka grimaced as he reached for his boomerang and her foot landed on top of his hand. She dug her heel into his flesh till she felt his bones crack and crumble beneath her weight. He cried out in pain. Again, she only laughed.

"You're right, I don't," she assured, hovering over him. Azula pressed the tip of the blade into his flesh, digging it down till it hit his breastbone. He hissed as she dragged it across the bone, thrusting it through the rest of his body into the ground when she ran out of bone. She pulled it out slowly, making sure he'd savor every last bit of agony. On cue, blood seeped from his chest, starting to drip down and get sucked up by the earth.

"Fuck you," He snapped, his unbroken hand clutching the dirt like it would relieve some of the pain.

"Wow...you sure are spunky for someone who is bleeding to death..." She commented, twirling the bloody sword in her hand.

"Shut it, " Sokka whispered, trying to block out the pain, block out the fact that he knew he was going to die.

"Insolent fool," The princess growled, kicking his side,"I suppose, though...I'll have to tell your precious all the details of why you can't save her now...Is there anything you'd like me to tell her?"

"Fuck you!" He yelled as loud as he could manage, quickly regretting it though as pain shot through his body.

"I'll be sure to relay the message to her!" Azula exclaimed.

"...You fucking bitch," He whimpered as tears fell down his face to mix with his blood.

"I know,I know..." Azula smiled, putting her hands on her hips.

"Why do you do this...?" Sokka demanded, wiping the smile off of her face in an instant. With her cat-like grace, Azula dropped to the ground, straddling him. She sunk her razor sharp nails into his neck

"It amuses me," Was her response through gritted teeth, she let go of his throat, allowing him to breathe. He coughed, choking. Blood came up from his lips and splattered all over her face. She smiled, the taste of his blood flooding her mouth.

"You're sick," He whispered, there was no reason to waste energy on his voice if she was this close to him now. If there hadn't been blood involved, anyone who would have seen the position they were in would have thought it very intimate, a pose for lovers. In a sense it was; She lusted for his blood, his death.

"I know, I take great pride in it!" She snickered, running her heated hands down his arms, letting his flesh simmer and burn away from his muscles and soon from the bone.

"But does...it make you happy?" Sokka questioned softly, his voice weak and full of pain. Azula frowned, the fire in her hands growing hotter as her anger rose. She watched him carefully, staring into his eyes. He had struck a chord in her, a very deep one. A chord that just wouldn't settle, despite all of the years Azula had spent settling them all.

She stood, her eyes never leaving his. She couldn't respond to his question and that made a small smile grow on Sokka's bloody lips as she raised her foot, pressing her heel into his forehead. She made a small dent in his skin as a target before she raised her foot up again. With blue fire surrounding her foot, Azula stomped down on his skull, smashing right through the bone. What had once been Sokka's handsome face was now just a pool of blood.

She may have won the battle, but he had won the war.

* * *

Sorry I haven't been updating. School is such a pain...

This one goes out to one of my bestest friends in teh wrold!!! ILY POT.


	5. 1 Roses

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**001. Roses

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**

Azula was currently the princess of the Broadway stage. In the latest revival of Chicago, her interpretation of Velma Kelly was absolutely captivating. Some said it was because of her eyes. Others accounted it to her amazing body, perfectly proportioned and rather hypnotizing, especially while wearing all those sexy little black numbers.

Sokka knew she was his sister's greatest enemy. Katara had wanted that part more than anything. She wanted to be the next Velma Kelly. That's why he was stuck here in the theater with Katara, sitting way up high and waiting for the show to start. He was trying oh-so-desperately to stay awake. Broadway shows just weren't his thing. If he didn't stay awake, he knew there'd be hell to pay. If Katara didn't have someone to rant and rave to, he'd get a nice resounding smack upside the head.

The lights dimmed. An actor came out to announce no cell phones, no flash photography, no blahdeblahdeblah...But when the orchestra started to play and the curtains spread open...Sokka's jaw dropped to the floor. So that was this Azula girl...

Suddenly, he knew exactly why Katara hadn't landed that part. There were two rather big reasons practically popping out of Azula's shiny black corset.

As miss princess continued on with her opening number, and all that jazz, Katara pried herself from her opera glasses and leaned over towards her brother.

"You've seen me sing and dance that song hundreds of times...What the hell does she have that I don't?" Katara grumbled.

"...Boobs," Was Sokka's dimwitted response and before he had a chance to correct himself, Katara delt him a nice smack upside the head, "Ah, uh, nothing, Katara...You have everything she has...And more!" Sokka fixed his answer.

"Hmph. That's what I thought..."

After that show, Sokka had a newfound "appreciation" for the Broadway stage. He had so much "appreciation" that he started showing up at the theater every week. Being a med student, Katara had no idea how the hell he could afford to go see the show so often, but she had no objections. If he went with her when she wanted to analyze her adversary, it would save her from feeling like a moron for going all by herself. Honestly, how many people went to go see shows alone?

Katara did have an objection the night that Sokka decided to buy a giant bouquet of roses for miss princess.

"Why the hell did you buy her these!? You've never gotten me big red roses for one of my performances before!" She cried, plucking the little card from amongst the petals. She read it, furrowed her brows and punched his shoulder so hard that he'd have a nice bruise.

"Because...she works hard at what she does...And..I think she deserves them...?"Sokka replied.

"You just want to get in her skimpy little leather...thing! Do you honestly think that you'd ever have a chance to even talk to her?"Katara berated her brother, getting right up in his face. On cue, however, miss princess herself came and interrupted.

"Oh, look, if it isn't Katara...I'm surprised to see you here!" Azula said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "And look, this must be your brother...He's cute, pretty eyes," Azula spoke as if Sokka wasn't standing there at all. Katara's nails started to dig into her skin as her hands balled into fists, her teeth grinding together.

"Don't you need to get going, Azula? Your corner is awfully lonely," Katara spat. Azula laughed, ignoring the other girl. She turned back to Sokka, smirking.

"Are these for me?" She asked, taking the bouquet of red roses from his arms. She read the little card, "Aww, that's so sweet of you...Your name's Sokka, right?" He nodded sheepishly. "Hey Cunt-ara, do you have a pen?" Azula asked, getting Katara even more riled up than she had been before.

"Of course, anything for her highness!" Katara spat, reaching in her purse and pulling out a blue pen. Azula took the pen and yanked Sokka's hand away from him. She wrote down a sequence of numbers then returned the pen to Katara.

"Call me sometime, babe," Azula said to Sokka, walking off on her own merry way, but not before she winked at Sokka and blew him a kiss.

When she was well out of earshot, Sokka wiped the dumbstruck look off his face and traded it in for a smirk.

"I think my chances just improved greatly."

* * *


	6. 62 Book

This one probably won't make much sense at all to anyone since its based off of a role-play on lj I've been involved with for a while. I just couldn't resist when I saw the prompt though.**  
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**062. BOOK**

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Running as fast as she could through the slush, Azula made her way to Burgermon King's. She was supposed to meet Sokka there for dinner, but Zuko had held her up. Ever since Katara had appeared in the Digital World, he had been a lost cause. Plus, he was still trying to put together that stupid Drama Llama documentary and wanted some footage from the princess.

She barged through the doors, gasping for air as she checked her D-Comm for the time. Perfect, nearly an hour late. With the ruckus she had caused upon entering, Sokka looked up, shoving the last bit of his Reuben sandwich between his lips. He smiled, shaking his head as she leaned up against a wall, trying to catch her breath. Honestly, sometimes it was hard to believe that she was the same girl who had nearly killed the Avatar.

Azula plopped herself down in the chair across from Sokka, looking exhausted.

"You're late," He said casually. Azula growled, resting her arms on the table, laying her head down on top of them

"And you're not, for once," She mumbled into her sleeve.

"Actually, I was here at 6:10, making me ten minutes late," Sokka explained.

"At least you're honest..."Azula sighed.

"Zuko hold you hostage again?" Sokka questioned, she nodded.

"He's all bent out of shape because of your sister," Azula said lazily.

"I figured as much, but that's Zuko. You know how obsessive he gets."

"I mutht capture the Avatar to rethtore my honor!" They said in unison, accentuating Zuko's famous lisp. The couple laughed a little, then Sokka stood up. He clasped Azula's hand in his and tugged at her a little bit.

"Come on, let's go up there and get some food, I'm sure you're starving," Sokka said, pulling her up to her feet and kissing her softly.

"But you already ate," Azula protested after the kiss, raising and eyebrow.

"So? You can never eat too much meat!" He exclaimed.

"Tell me that when you're forty and you look like a blimp," Azula smirked, squeezing his hand a little as they got in line to order. Sokka ignored her comment, he had nothing witty to say to that.

"What do you want?" He asked as they reached the counter.

"The usual," She responded. He reached in his coat pocket for the necessary BIT. He knew what the exact total would be. After Sokka ordered and paid the cashier, both stepped off to the side to wait for their food.

"So, have you had a chance to talk to Katara yet?" Azula asked.

"Nope," he replied, "She's still in that stage of pissyness where I'd be afraid for my life if I was stuck in a room with her." Azula laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. Sokka wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

"We really ought to do something about them...Get them back together or something..."Azula suggested as the cashier placed their bag of food on the counter. Sokka took the tray with his other hand and led Azula back to their table.

"Good luck, Katara holds a grudge forever," Sokka said, taking his seat again. He pulled Azula's burger and french fries out, handing them to her.

"I'm sure I can handle her, water conducts electricity, after all," Azula smirked, pushing her straw into her extra thick strawberry milkshake. Sokka snorted, chewing on some french fries.

"Don't you even dare, 'Zula."

"Oh come on, you ruin all my fun!" Azula pouted cutely, unwrapping her burger and taking a dainty little bite from it.

"Your idea of fun is playing Kuai ball with a severed head," Sokka told her, she smiled.

"I'm not _that_ sadistic, " Azula muttered, taking a long, labored sip from her milkshake. When they said extra thick, they certainly meant extra thick.

"Of course you're not, you're just a regular Disney princess," Sokka said sarcastically.

"Yes, I just love fluffy ball gowns and I could never possibly think for myself! It'd be too painful!" Azula exclaimed dramatically with just as much sarcasm. Both laughed.

"Jasmine had a brain and didn't wear fluffy ball gowns," Sokka said, glopping ketchup on a few french fries before shoving them in his mouth.

"Oh, so does that make you Aladdin?" Azula questioned, biting off a chunk of cheeseburger.

"Yep." Sokka said happily.

"Then who's the genie?"

"Zuko."

"That's just a little scary...What about Jafar?" Azula asked, her curiosity for Sokka's casting decisions getting the better of her.

"Hmm...well, I'd have to say Jet," Sokka said after rubbing his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds. Azula glared at him before leaning over the table and dealing him a nice smack upside the head, "Ow! What was that for?" He asked, rubbing the spot on his head she had hit.

"Do I really need a reason to abuse you?" Azula smirked, holding her hand up, getting ready to smack him again.

"Yes! Yes you do!" He protested.

"Fine, because you're an idiot," Azula justified. There was nothing to say to that one. Hitting him for being an idiot was perfectly acceptable. The couple fell silent for a few minutes as they ate their meals. Sokka practically inhaled his, while Azula ate well, like a princess. Slow and neat. Sokka sucked at his soda, the gurgling sound a signal he was out of that sweet caffeinated beverage. He stabbed at the ice a few times trying to get as much as he could out. Out of nowhere a genius idea struck him. He slammed the cup of ice on the table with a large, goofy smile, his blue eyes sparkling with pride at his ingenuity. Azula sighed, watching him carefully.

"...You just got a _brilliant_ idea, didn't you?" She questioned, unamused. Sometimes he had great, amazing ideas...Other times, not so much.

"Yes! I know how to keep Zuko out of your hair for a while!" He exclaimed.

"...I'm listening," She was interested now.

"But we'll have to go searching because we'll need three of them," Sokka explained, Azula nodded.

"What do we need?"

"Books," He responded.

"Be more specific, what kind of books?" She asked.

"The one and the only Kama Sutra," Sokka replied with a devious smile.

"He already has one of those, Sokka."

"Well, yeah, back at the academy, but not here."

"Why would we need three of them? So he can use one to feed Agumon?" Azula snorted. Sokka sighed.

"No, you twat! One for Zuko, obviously. One for Katara-"

"Why the hell would you give Katara a Kama Sutra? She'd maim you!" Azula interrupted him, he rolled his eyes.

"_I_ wouldn't give it to her, we'd trick Zuko into giving it to her or some shit like that. I'm still fleshing out the details but Azula, honestly. I'm not that stupid," Sokka assured her.

"What's the purpose in giving them both copies of the Kama Sutra in the first place? Don't you think they both will automatically assume those books were our doing? I know that'd be Zuko's first thought, and what's the third one for? A spare?" Azula bombarded him with questions, finishing off her food. She crunched up her wrappers into a neat little ball.

"Like I said, I'm still fleshing out the details, but seriously. If things don't work out in the end, we just pull out the oldest excuse in the book."

"We did it for the lulz?"

"Yep."

"You still haven't told me the purpose in the third book."

"The great Princess Azula still hasn't figured it out? Wow, I'm disappointed in you," Sokka shook his head with mocking disapproval. Azula pouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Just tell me what its for," She sighed. Azula wasn't really in the mood to be playing any guessing games.

"For us, " Sokka replied.

It wasn't often that so much blood rushed to Azula's cheeks that she looked the same shade of red as ketchup, but this was one of those times. Her ball of wrappers fell from her fingers, bouncing a few times before it settled. All she could do was stare at Sokka, her jaw agape. He only laughed at her.

" You so should have expected that," He told her through his laughter.

"The Kama Sutra isn't something you talk about in the middle of Burgermon King's! We're in a public place!" Azula said through her teeth, trying to calm herself down.

"And having sex with Jet in the middle of a hallway wasn't in a public place?"

"Shut up!" She squealed, her face turning an even deeper shade of red,"That just...ugh, shut up!" She stood up, gathering all of their garbage up in a pile before turning around to throw it away. Even though she had thrown the trash away, she stood in front of the trash can for a moment, staring at the disgusting wallpaper, still trying to calm herself down. In an instant, though, she felt Sokka's arms around her middle as his snickering died down.

"Its just a book, honey. I highly doubt there'd even be one copy of the Kama Sutra lying around here, let alone three of them. As adorable as you are when you blush, I didn't mean to make you look like a tomato," Sokka said in her ear, holding her close to him.

"Don't even start that shi-" Azula started, but was cut off by Sokka turning her around in his arms and kissing her forcefully. She struggled against him for a second before giving up completely and kissing him back. One of Sokka's hands traveled up to the nape of her neck, tangling itself in her dark hair. The other rested at her hip. She simply let him have his way with her, having her arms draped lazily around his shoulders. Soon, both needed a break for air, though. Azula smiled as their lips parted.

"Hey Sokka?"She whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Let's go find those books now."

* * *


	7. 54 Fire

I actually used this one as an assignment for my honors advanced creative writing class this semester...haha...Oh Sokkla

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**054. Fire**

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It was far past sunset; The entire sky was completely blackened, save for a few wispy clouds and the sparkling stars that speckled the sky. They sat in a loose circle around the large campfire, talking, joking. Katara passed around bowls of some soup-like concoction and Zuko handed out cups of jasmine tea.

"Its good, as always, Katara!" Haru chimed with his charming smile. He was handsome, with his olive toned skin and his dark flowing locks.

"Thanks, " Katara accepted the compliment with a smile of her own.

"The tea in't half bad either, Zuko!" The Duke added. He was just a typical trouble-making kid. No one really knew his real name, he was just the Duke.

Zuko nodded, acknowledging the compliment by nodding his head. Once dinner was neatly rationed out, Katara and Zuko took their respective places in the circle to eat their meals. It was a normal night for team Avatar, or at least as normal as things would ever be for the kids who were trying to save the world. Toph and Suki were engaged in a conversation which Katara quickly joined. Zuko remained relatively silent throughout the duration of the meal, but that was normal for him. He didn't usually speak much while he ate. His strict upbringing as a prince had forbidden that. Just because he had been living as a nomad for the better part of the last three years didn't mean he had to forget his manners.

It was not, however, normal for Sokka to be sitting there like a lump and not talking and not eating either. He was always the one to be shooting off those classy sarcastic remarks with small particles of food escaping his lips because he had neglected to swallow his food before speaking. Although he was being uncharacteristically quiet, no one seemed to notice, or at least if they did they didn't care enough to confront him about it.

He sat with his head cradled in his hand, cool blue eyes seemingly focused on nothing. But they were focused, his eyes were focused on the campfire, burning brightly. He didn't even know why the fire was having this effect on him, why it was hypnotizing him so because it had never done that before, but it was, and the little voice in the back of his head was scolding him for it. No matter how hard his subconscious screamed at him, he still couldn't break his gaze away from the flames. It was frustrating, to say the least, to be incurably drawn to the heat like a pathetic moth.

Sokka just couldn't help it. There was just something about the way the mix of orange and yellow licked at the wood. It looked so soft and fragile, so calm and relatively harmless, which was a total contradiction. Fire wasn't harmless, that Sokka knew from experience. From all the times he had accidentally burned himself while trying to start one back home at the South pole or all the times he had found himself engaged in battle with a firebender trying to throw a fireball down his throat.

The fire cracked, a small puff of ashes escaping into the air. Sokka really wasn't one to think figuratively, but he figured the crackling was a little like a voice. It almost sounded like the fire was talking to him in some sweet foreign tongue he had never heard of before. The colors changed constantly, varying from yellows so bright they almost looked white and dark reds tipping off the flames before they disintegrated into the air. In some spots near the base of the wood, the fire was even turning a dark, faint blue color before it faded into the majority.

_Blue._

Blue fire like _hers._

Blue fire like that which flowed from the princess' fingertips so effortlessly. Blue fire that was so hot, so dangerous but so beautiful it was mind-blowing. Sokka snorted, grumbling in his frustration. Fire was completly contradictory, Sokka concluded as he continued to watch the campfire gently eat at the logs, caressing them like a lover as they slowly killed them.

Zuko stood, taking a fresh log and throwing it on the fire. Sparks and smoke flew up into the air as it landed a top the logs that were already burning. The fire crackled loudly, speaking again.

Sokka sighed, leaning his head in his other hand now. From sitting in that position so long, the circulation in his other arm had been cut off a bit, causing that arm to fall asleep. Regardless, his attention was still focused on the fire as it started to creep up on the new log, going in for the kill. The flames began to dance to some uneven rhythm, seducing the fresh log into giving in to temptation. In his fire-induced hypnosis, Sokka's eyelids started to feel awfully heavy, slipping shut, then snapping back open as soon as they had closed completely. Just like the log, he finally gave in to temptation, sliding in to a light slumber.

Even though he had entered the realm of dreams the fire still plagued his vision. Everyone else around the campfire disappeared, the only sound reaching Sokka's ears was the fire's crackling voice. The small tendrils of blue grew larger and larger, taking over the red flames until there was nothing but icy colored fire cascading up from the campfire. Like that pathetic moth, Sokka leaned closer to the warmth. Not even realizing his actions, he started to crawl towards the fire. As he drew nearer, the blue licks seemed to form recognizable shapes. Those formed what looked like arms, a womanly torso and long legs.

Sokka stopped dead in his tracks; the flames were growing in size, the feminine shapes falling into their proper proportions. He backed away from the fire a little bit, knowing if it grew any more momentum that he'd end up getting himself burned. _But maybe he wanted to be burned..._

More and more details crept into the flames. Her face, her hair, the exact curve of her hips, swaying gently. He knew who it was, it was hard not to recognize her, even if she wasn't wearing her famous battle armor.

_Azula._

_Princess_ Azula.

Her plump, burning lips formed into a smirk as she looked down at him. She held out her hand, beckoning for him to come nearer. He did not obey her command, he could only stare. There was no denying that the enemy princess was beautiful; she had to be one of the most beautiful creatures that Sokka had ever seen in his life, but he knew he shouldn't feel this way about her, he _couldn't _feel this way about her. She was, after all, the enemy.

"Come to me, Sokka," She said in a low, seductive tone. He watched her fiery lips move.

"I-I...I can't...!"He managed to choke out, his breathing growing labored and heavy.

"Then I'll make you come to me," She purred.

"No...!" He protested, but she quickly cut him off by snapping her wrist and then pulling it towards her. Sokka's body obeyed her silent call, moving towards the heat of the blue fire.

"There...that's a good boy," She cooed, a burst of flames coming from the inferno to nearly touch his cheek. He recoiled a little bit because of the burning sensation at first, but then leaned forward again, wondering what it'd be like to really feel her small, agile fingertips brush against his face. His silent question was answered as a pale, milky leg stepped forward, emerging from the fire. He gasped, the breath getting stuck in his throat. She snickered a little, now completely standing before him, one hand on her hip. There was a small red cloth wrapped around her chest, a sarong in a matching fabric hanging loosely around her hips.

"Why are you doing this…?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"…Because you want me to," Azula replied, kneeling down before him, her hands sliding over his cheeks.

"No," He panted, closing his eyes and trying to will this strange hallucination away,"I have…Suki…"

"If you didn't want me, then why am I here?" The enemy princess murmured in his ear, one hand pulling the blue tie out of his hair, letting it fall against his face. She tangled her hand in his hair, the other caressing his face like the fire had the wood.

Sokka fell silent. He hated her for this power she had, her ability to read his thoughts through his eyes. Cautiously he raised his hand, and placed it on her smooth back, letting it travel down until it rested on her waist. He pulled her a little closer to him and she purred in his ear.

"Such a good boy," Azula said, her hot breath causing the tiny hairs on the back of his neck to stand up straight, sending a cool shiver down his spine.

She closed in on him then, pressing her full, red lips to his in a searing kiss. She

was going to kill him, he knew that. Just like the fire had kept on tempting the logs to burn, she was tempting him, but he didn't care. He dived in, kissing her in return. The princess filled his senses, her smoky scent, her soft, silky skin. Even with his eyes shut he still saw her dancing in the fire. Azula smiled as she deepened the kiss, pulling him closer to her, sucking his soul right out of him.

Sokka pulled away, suddenly, gasping for breath. He felt like he was drowning.

"Sokka…?" A foreign look grew on Azula's face as she spoke, she looked concerned, "Are you alright…? Sokka!" Her hands curled around his shoulders, shaking him gently, "Sokka, can you hear me?" Azula's lips were moving, but it wasn't the sound of her low, taunting voice that emerged.

It was Suki's voice. Her sweet, innocent voice that was coming from Azula's throat.

His eyes snapped open, peering around his suroundings. The campire was red again, and all his friends were circling him, worried looks on all their faces. Suki kneeled in front of him, exactly how Azula had been, her hands on his shoulders. It had been a dream…Azula had just been a dream, nothing but a dream…

"Are you okay, Sokka?" His sister, Katara asked, smiling.

"I-I'm fine," He stuttered, pulling Suki into a tight hug. She mirrored the action, wrapping her arms around his neck, "It was nothing b-but a…a dream…"

"Must have been some dream," Suki said with a little laugh.

"You have no idea."

* * *


	8. 50 Silk

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**50. Silk  
**

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Stretching his arms high above his head with a yawn, Zuko pulled himself out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed a red silken robe, slipping it on over his night clothes. He walked over to one of his windows, the one that had a fabulous view of the royal lake and opened it up. He cringed back for a moment from the shock of the sudden sunlight, but soon recovered and smiled warmly as he watched the birds chirping gaily and flying freely about. Today was a special day. It was his sister's eighteenth birthday and Azula would actually be home to celebrate it.

With a sigh, Zuko tore himself away from the window. It was so relaxing, just standing there, but he had final preparations for the celebration to make. He dressed himself, opting not to have his servants' help at the moment. They were all most likely busy doing more important things. He ran a brush through his hair quickly and tied it up in the usual topknot before heading down to the dining room for some breakfast.

"Good morning, Zuko," Azula greeted her brother as he entered the room. She was sitting at her normal seat, the one to the right of Zuko's, eating her own breakfast. Yes, she was Zuko's right-hand woman, despite her history. After her years of treatment at the mental health facility, she was a completely different person, yet somehow exactly the same. She was still a genius politician and was extremely creative, often coming up with diplomatic ideas that Zuko could have never dreamed of. He trusted her, oddly enough. He thought he owed her that after learning his role in her downfall.

"Good morning, Azula," Zuko replied, taking his seat at the head of the table, "Are you excited for tonight?"

"I suppose, " She shrugged, looking down at her plate, poking at her food with her chopsticks.

"You definitely don't seem like it," Zuko said, causing her to look up at him, smiling.

"I'm just a little nervous, that's all," Azula stated. Zuko gave a small chuckle at her honesty. Knowing what the laugh was about, Azula's eyes narrowed and she pointed her chopsticks at her brother threateningly, "Don't get used to it," She snarled, setting the chopsticks back down on her plate and snapping her fingers. A servant came to take them away.

Zuko only laughed a little harder. Even if Azula had been home for half a year, it was still hard to get used to her actually showing her emotions once in a while, "Happy birthday, by the way. Feeling old yet?"

"Thank you and no, are you? You're not even a teenager anymore,"said Azula, standing up and pushing in her chair with a smirk.

"I do feel kind of old, actually. I think I'm starting to get some gray hairs," Zuko joked. Azula rolled her eyes and started walking out of the dining room, heading towards her quarters, leaving Zuko to eat his morning meal in solitude. She walked down the wide hallway, her hands clasped behind her back. A few servants passed the princess, bowing to her before scurrying off to do their business. Azula nodded to acknowledge them, continuing down the hall. Once she finally reached her quarters, she kicked off her slippers and peered at herself in the gigantic mirror. She didn't realize her mother was already occupying the room, sitting at the foot of Azula's bed.

"Happy birthday, Azula, "Ursa said warmly, causing Azula to whip around, slightly startled by her mother's presence.

"Thanks,"Azula replied mechanically, turning back towards the mirror, picking up a hair brush and starting to untangle her somewhat unruly ebony locks.

"You're not having a very good day so far, are you?" Ursa asked, a worried expression on her face. She was alarmed that Azula was going to have one of her occasional 'bad days' in which one of her other personalities came out, turning her into a complete paranoid animal once more. These had become exceedingly rare in the past year or so, but it didn't stop Ursa from worrying about her daughter every single day. Ursa had played a major role in Azula's recovery, once Zuko had tracked her down and explained the situation. Ursa felt ridiculously guilty, even if there wasn't much she could have done to prevent it. The two were close now, at least. Not as close as a mother and daughter probably should have been, but they were eons ahead of where they had been when Azula had been a child.

"No, my day's been fine. Its just another day," Azula said, "It just happens to be the eighteenth anniversary of my birth, and Zuko happens to be throwing a huge celebration in honor of it. You know I don't like those big parties."

"Sweetie, you and Zuko both need a break from your normal routine. It'll be fun-"

"Maybe for you and Zuko."

"Azula, you're the guest of honor-"

"So?"

"So, Sokka will be there," Ursa baited her daughter, knowing that would cheer her up a little. Sokka had also paid an active role in Azula's recovery, the two of them were now very close as well. If Ursa didn't know any better, she would have guessed that they were maybe a little more than that before he had to go back home to the Southern Water Tribe.

Azula turned around slowly, her expression mostly surprised, kind of happy and slightly irritated, "Why hasn't anyone told me that before?"

"We all wanted it to be a surprise, but you just seemed so down I couldn't keep it from you any longer," Ursa replied, smiling. Azula rubbed her temples in frustration.

"It really would have been nice to know that a month ago," Azula snorted, muttering under her breath, "At least now I have one reason to look forward to this ridiculous celebration."

"Come here," Ursa said to her daughter. Azula raised an eyebrow skeptically before slowly sauntering over to her bed, looking down at her mother, a hand on her hip.

"Yes...?"

Ursa reached behind her and brought forth a gold box, tied shut with red ribbon, "Here, I got this for you." Azula took the box and then sat down beside her mother, the box in her lap. Within seconds Azula had the ribbons untied and was lifting the top off the box, revealing the thin tissue paper the contents were wrapped in. Azula pulled the tissue paper out of the box, tossing it to the floor. She pulled the silken contents of the box out, letting it unfold itself. She stood up to examine the red dress further. It was beautiful, much more so than the dress Azula had been planning on wearing tonight. She glared at her mother for a moment, tempted to make some snide remark about the gift, but with her new found conscious, Azula didn't have the heart to and remained silent instead.

"I hope you like it, and I hope it fits," Ursa said after a while, breaking the silence.

"I do like it and I'm sure it will," Azula replied, laying the dress out on her bed to keep it from wrinkling. Ursa stood with a sigh, placing a hand on Azula's shoulder.

"I should get going, Zuko asked me to go help him finish up some things."

"Alright, I'll see you tonight then," Azula said as her mother left the room.

"You look really nervous, Sokka," Katara grinned, eying her brother as they grew closer to the Fire Nation capital.

"I'm not nervous!" Sokka declared, getting a snicker out of Toph.

"Seem pretty nervous to me, and I can't even see you," Toph replied, leaning against the side of Appa's saddle.

"Shut up!" Sokka snapped, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Just admit it, Sokka, you're nervous about seeing Azula," The young Avatar piped up from atop Appa's head, holding the reins.

"I am not!" Sokka protested again. He was most definitely not going to admit that he'd ever be nervous about the formerly insane princess. Even if he was. Extremely nervous. What if she had a total relapse because he had to leave? What if she was back to being totally and completely mean and evil? What if she didn't want anything to do with him anymore and cringed at the very sight of him tonight? What if, what if, what if?

"Its nothing to be ashamed of if you are nervous about her, Sokka," Katara said comfortingly. Sokka sighed, that was about as close as admitting his nervousness that he'd get.

"We know you were sort of friends with her,"Aang looked over his shoulder to say.

"You know what I think it is? I think he's just all upset because he's worried she'll have a new boyfriend!" Toph chuckled, Sokka blushed furiously, turning his back towards everyone to hide it.

"I never was her boyfriend! Friend, yes, boyfriend, NO!"

"You're a boy, and you're her friend. Boyfriend," Toph shrugged-

"Not her boyfriend!" Sokka paused. "And I'm not a boy either!" The other three burst with laughter.

"Then what are you? A hog-monkey?" Toph smirked, "And as for the Azula thing, I'll just have to ask her myself."

"No! I am a man!" Sokka replied, offended, "And you go do that, if her guards even let you near her!"

"We're here, you guys," Aang said suddenly as Appa started to descend into the dormant volcano where the city resided. Toph and Sokka both fell quiet as Appa landed near the royal stables. Aang, Katara and Toph jumped off the bison almost immediately. Sokka stayed put, still leaning against the saddle and his nervousness plastered all over his face. As Aang gave Appa a treat and Toph headed off towards the palace, Katara looked up to her brother, worried.

"Are you okay?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just fine," Sokka replied softly, not looking down to meet his sister's gaze.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, an eyebrow raised. Sokka nodded.

"I'm sure I'm sure," He smiled, "I just wanna stay up here for a bit before I go in," Sokka explained. Katara shrugged.

"Don't be too long, I'm sure Azula will want to see you..." Katara trailed off, turning and going off towards the palace with Toph and Aang.

"I know, I know," Sokka sighed, resting his face in his hand. He really couldn't wait to see her again, he cared a great deal about the princess now, almost thinking of her as another little sister. Almost. He couldn't help it she was probably one of the prettiest girls in the world. He just didn't know what to say when he finally saw her again after what had seemed like so long. He felt a little sick to his stomach thinking about it. He couldn't say that he missed her! Well, he could, but it would totally hurt his ego to do so. He sighed, falling backwards on the saddle, looking up at the roof. It sort of reminded him of that one time Azula tried to teach him how to tame a Komodo rhino...

_"You're going to scare him, you idiot," Azula barked, leaning against the fence. Sokka glanced over to her with a glare._

_"I'm not going to scare him!" Sokka assured her, taking another step closer to the rhino._

_"Yes, you are," Azula stated, and then on cue, the rhino got spooked and thrashed around in its stall. With a screech, Sokka jumped back, falling backward and landing in a pile of hay. "See? I told you," Azula said, moving in towards the frightened beast and calming it down by offering it a treat. She scratched its head and cooed at it. It nuzzled her and Sokka watched in slight awe. He didn't think Azula would be able to settle that thing down as quick as she did, she just didn't seem the type. After a moment of thinking about it, however, Sokka figured that she needed to be able to settle Komodo rhinos down and such._

_"Come here, "she ordered him, her voice stern and somewhat harsh. He obeyed, standing next to Azula, "Put out your hand..." He did as she asked. Azula dropped a few sugar cubes in his hand and he gave a skeptical look. "Give them to him like this," She said, holding out her palm and offering the treat to the rhino. It happily licked up the sugar cubes and then looked at Sokka. _

_"Don't look him in the eyes, you'll scare him again," Azula said, slightly irritated. Sokka gulped and looked down at the ground, holding his hand under the beast's mouth. The rhino gently took the treat from Sokka's hand and then leaned forward and licked his face . Sokka gave a disgusted howl and started trying to wipe the rhino slobber off his face. Azula laughed at him, really laughed at him. It wasn't a cruel snicker or anything, just a regular, normal laugh. That was the first time Sokka had ever heard her laugh like that...and he had to admit, he kind of liked it. He watched her, a smile growing on his face, the rhino slobber forgotten..._

Appa grunted, jerking Sokka from his little daydream.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going, "Sokka said, sitting up and stretching before he slid down the bison's large tail. He still had no idea what he was going to say or do once he saw Azula, but he had to go inside anyway. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, he figured everyone would be getting ready for the celebration by now and that he'd better get ready himself. He had to look nice, and not just for the princess either.

Azula was soaking in a nice warm bath, bubbles foaming up to her neck and covering her up like a cocoon. She was relaxing, or at least trying to. She was mostly thinking about Sokka. That stupid Water Tribe boy, actually making her like him. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, curse Zuko and her mother for not telling her that Sokka would be there tonight. If she had known this weeks ago, Azula would have planned everything out, but now she'd probably just go out there and most likely make a total fool of herself. Which she most definitely did not want to do.

With an aggravated sigh, Azula slunk farther down into the bubbles. Outside, she could hear a few voices speaking. Only two were close enough for her to be able to understand what they were saying.

"Good afternoon," The first voice said. Azula knew that voice, but it wasn't clear enough to put a name to it.

"Good day," It was Azula's attending servant.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the princess is, would you?" The first voice asked. Azula's eyes shot open as she recognized the voice. It was Sokka. Sokka was here. In the palace. And he was looking for her. Her heart immediately started beating rapidly and continued to do so even after she mentally slapped herself. _'This is nothing to be getting even the slightest bit nervous about.'_

"She is bathing at the moment. She shouldn't be too much longer now, but after that she has to finish getting ready for the celebration tonight. I'm afraid you probably won't be able to see her until dinner," The servant explained. There was a pause.

"Very well, I guess I'll see her later then," His voice sounded somewhat sad at that, which made Azula smile to herself. He wanted to see her.

"I shall tell her you would like to see her, if you wish," The servant replied sweetly. Another pause.

"...Sure, I guess, doesn't hurt...Its just been so long since I've seen her and-" He grew quiet then. Or Azula just didn't hear the remainder of the conversation. She warmed the water up a little bit herself, thinking back to the last time she had seen Sokka, before he had been summoned back to the Water Tribe.

_Sokka and Azula had spent the day at the lake, playing, goofing around (Sokka was at least) and basically just acting like teenagers. Or in Azula's case, trying to act like one. By the end of the day both of them were thoroughly exhausted. They sat on a blanket, watching the sunset together. It was as cliche as cliche got, but neither really cared. Both had convinced themselves that this wasn't romantic in any way shape or form, it was just a day of fun on the beach. Nothing more than that._

_"I'm assuming that you're going to sleep good tonight, aren'tcha?" Sokka asked her. She looked at him, her eyes sparkling._

_"I suppose," She agreed with him, keeping her eyes focused on his. With the hue the sunset laid over the land, Sokka's blue eyes stood out against the reds and oranges._

_"You suppose? You're practically falling asleep sitting up!" He teased. She shook her head and elbowed him, smiling. "Admit it!" Sokka egged her on, grinning._

_"Its all in your over-active imagination, Sokka," Azula responded, her smile turning into a smirk._

_"Hey now, if it wasn't for my over-active imagination, we wouldn't be sitting here," He said, which was total truth. Azula sighed, having nothing to say to that. Sokka made note of his small victory with a smug look that faded almost as soon as it had appeared. He leaned towards Azula a little, reaching his hand forward to brush a damp chunk of hair from Azula's face. She still said nothing, but she leaned towards him a bit as well. His hand stayed near her face, tucking her hair behind her ear. Azula took a deep breath, not quite knowing what to think. Her mind was swirling with something she couldn't explain, something she knew she had never experienced before. Her eyes slipped shut and in an instant she felt something against her lips. Surprised, her eyes snapped back open, seeing Sokka's face right in front of hers. What to do, what to do. Push him away, kiss him back or just sit there until he was done satisfying himself, and Azula only had a split second to decide. Azula kissed him back._

_So much for this sunset thing not being romantic at all._

_One hand covered her cheek and the other wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him and her arms wrapped around his neck. They stayed in that position, even after their lips had parted. Sokka rested his head against hers, pulling her a little tighter up against his body. Neither said a word for a long time. The sun was nearly set by the time Azula decided to push herself from his embrace and stare at him, the tiniest hint of malice in her gaze._

_"When were you planning on telling me you had to leave tomorrow morning?" Azula said suddenly. Sokka looked at her, an expression of shock on his face. It quickly turned to a more pained one as he looked away from her._

_"I...Azula, I'm sorry...I was going to tell you once we got back to the palace," he said softly._

_"And you wait till now for all of this?" She asked, referring to the kiss. She stood up to hide the emotions that were evidently plaguing her features at the moment. She leaned down and tugged at the blanket, his cue to stand up so she could fold it._

_"I didn't mean, I never thought, it just sort of happened, alright?" He said, upset with himself for the dumb move he just made._

_"So that meant nothing to you?" She questioned as she folded the blanket up, her eyes still downcast where he could not see them._

_"No, how could you say that? If it didn't mean something, I wouldn't have done it," Sokka assured her, his voice gentle. She stood up tall, the blanket tucked under her arm. _

_"What now?" She asked, her face devoid of anything. Sokka sighed, scratching the back of his head._

_"...I don't know," He said, stepping towards her, both hands on her shoulders, "But if I didn't have to go, I wouldn't, I want you to know that," He whispered, hugging her tightly. She didn't hug him back, but she wrapped her arms around him. _

_"You'll be back, right?" It was more of an ordering statement than a question._

_"I'll be back sometime, I promise. I can't just go and never come back again," Sokka assured her. Then her arms tightened around him._

_"I'm going to hold you to that."_

_"On penalty of what?" He whispered in her ear, his warm breath traveling down her neck. She looked up at him with a teasing smirk._

_"Your death, of course..."_

Banging on the door startled Azula. She growled.

"Princess, is everything alright in there, you've been in there for an awfully long time!" The servant asked through the door, her voice alarmed.

"I'm fine," Azula snapped.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes, hold on," Azula stood up and let the water drip off of her before she stepped out of the tub and looked at her hands. They were all wrinkled and prune-like. She grumbled to herself before grabbing a towel and quickly drying herself off. She wrapped it around her hair and threw on a robe. She still had her royal hair combing to sit through before she started to really get ready for the celebration tonight.

Sokka wasn't really sure how in the world he had managed to not see Azula throughout the entire dinner. It wasn't like he wasn't looking for her, because he was, and it wasn't like she should have been so hard to find. Maybe he just wasn't recognizing her, but that would be next to near impossible since Azula was so...recognizable, no matter what she was wearing. And now that the dinner was over, the ball was going to start so now it'd be even harder to spot her amongst the crowds of rainbow colored people.

_ Perfect._

Sokka managed to spot nearly everyone he hadn't seen in quite a few years, but was still having difficulties spotting the one person he wanted to see more than anything.

"Evening, Sokka," Fire Lord Zuko greeted his friend. Sokka turned towards him and the two men shared a brief embrace.

"Hey," Sokka said with a smile, "How's life?"

"You know. Kind of dull and boring," Zuko shrugged, smiling. Both knew Zuko's life as the Fire Lord was far from dull and boring, "What about you? How have things been going?"

"Good, I guess. I miss staying here though," Sokka said. Zuko held back a chuckle. He was well aware that Sokka didn't really miss the palace, he had always been complaining about getting lost in all the corridors. Zuko knew that Sokka really just missed Azula. He had his suspicions. No one had ever had power over Azula like Sokka did. Even when she had her occasional bad day, Sokka was able to coax her back into a relatively good mood.

"I'm sure you do," Zuko said, sipping his drink.

"Any idea were your sister is?" Sokka asked out of the blue. Zuko had been waiting for that inquiry.

"No, not really. Last I saw her she was playing wallflower and mumbling about how much she hates these kinds of things," Zuko answered.

"Oh, okay..." He trailed off, starting to scan the walls for anyone who even remotely looked like Azula, "I'll see you around, Zuko," Sokka said as he started pushing through the crowds. Zuko snickered, watching Sokka as he left. He wondered how much longer it would take for the two of them to cross paths. He knew Azula was looking for Sokka as well.

Sokka continued to push through people as he made his way around the gigantic room, searching everywhere around him for the princess. He looked every single woman he saw dressed in red up and down and even some that were dressed in blue as well. He wouldn't put it past Azula to show up in blue to match the fire she bent. He was getting awfully frustrated, this was like looking for a needle in a haystack but worse. It wasn't supposed to be this hard to find the princess!

He grumbled to himself, rubbing his temple, about ready to give up looking for her himself and let her find him instead. Sokka straightened his dark blue robes and headed towards the table where beverages were being served. There was a small opening the the bunches of people, so Sokka maneuvered his way through towards the table that way. He stopped in his tracks. The music was no longer ringing in his ears and all movement around him seemed to cease.

Her back was turned to him, whoever she was. Her dress was made of the shiniest, softest looking silk Sokka had ever seen. It was a dark red color, the fragile fabric delicately embroidered with images of dragons and phoenixes among other intricate designs that somewhat resembled fire. The sleeves were long, but allowed for her slender fingers to be seen as she reached forward to wave at some old friend. The trim and the sash tied around her petite waist was a rich gold, complimenting the rest of the dress. It fell over her curves in a manner so breath-taking, accentuating her perfectly proportioned body. Sokka idly thought of what it'd be like to rest his hands at her hips, wondering if she'd turn to dust and disappear if he did. Her hair was tied up in some detailed fashion with a menagerie of pins holding the tendrils in place. Some of it was left to cascade down her back, looking almost as sleek as her dress.

Her head turned slightly, allowing him to see a bit of her face. She had milky Fire Nation skin that glowed in this light. Her cheeks were a gentle rosy pink, her plump lips a slightly lighter hue than the red of her dress. Sokka gulped as her eyes caught his for a second. He blinked. When his eyes reopened, she was facing him entirely, her eyes locked on his. If Sokka hadn't been completely captivated by her before, he surely was now. Her eyes were bright gold, her dark lashes only serving to make them stand out more. The look she was giving him was unexplainable but so very familiar that he couldn't help but step towards her.

And then it hit him. He knew who she was. He had _finally_ found her.

A warm smile formed on Sokka's lips as he took in her almost ethereal beauty. She took a graceful step towards him, her lips mirroring his smile. She gave a small laugh and a shake of her head, her eyes never leaving his.

"Looks like I won't have to kill you after all, will I?"

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Wrote this for Sokkla week and then realized the prompt was on the Sokkla100 list as well, harhar. GOOD JOB, FRERAK.

Hope this wasn't too much of an eyesore since my writing's a bit rusty and no one beta'd this for me. I AM LOOKING AT YOU, J!

Thanks for reading **3**


	9. 89 Twisted

This one needs a little bit of explaining. I am aware of the fact that it barely focuses on any Sokklaness at all. But the AU that this prompt sparked is slowly eating away at my brain, so bad that if I had the patience, I would expand this into a full-length fic, but alas. I am unfortunately ADD.

Anyways...ENJOY IT.

OR DIE.

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**089.****TWISTED**

This was wrong. So very wrong. She didn't deserve to die, there was no reason for it. None at all. Of course, Katara, Zuko and Toph thought otherwise. They were saddened that it was her who was lost, but all kept saying that even in this new era of peace, there would be casualties. Aang had no comment on the matter, which hurt Sokka deeply. Wasn't Aang supposed to be against death of any kind?

Suki was dead. Because of everything, Suki, his Suki, was dead. She was never coming back. A week before their wedding too. Sokka couldn't even begin to explain the heartache he felt as he stood on the shores of Kyoshi island, watching the water lap at the sand. The boat Suki's corpse had been set sail in had long since disappeared from sight, as did the rest of the villagers. Sokka was alone, tears still making their way down his face. He wiped them from his cheeks and turned around. He figured he should go back inside talk to everyone again, before they started to worry.

Katara, Zuko, Toph and Aang were sitting in a semi-circle, sipping at tea. All wore solemn expressions. All were silent. Until Sokka broke it.

"This has to stop," He stated forcefully. Everyone's eyes focused on him in an instant.

"What are you talking about?" Katara questioned him.

"These senseless deaths. There was absolutely no reason for Suki to die," Sokka said, his voice slightly raised as he stared down at his friends and sister.

"Sokka, it was an accident, accidents happen," Zuko said calmly.

"That was no accident. She would still be here if it wasn't for your twisted ways of trying to rebuild the world!" Sokka exclaimed, tears starting to sting his eyes again.

"Settle down," Katara yelled,"How many times do we have to tell you that people are going to die whether we like it or not. The world isn't going to be completely at peace overnight, Sokka!"

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right," Aang piped in, his voice quiet.

"Its been five years, five! That is not overnight!"

"Hate to break it to you, but compared to a hundred years of war, it kind of is!" Toph added, Sokka clenched his fists in frustration so tight that his short nails were starting to pierce into his palms.

"It doesn't mean that the way we're trying to restore peace is the right way!" Sokka continued.

"We're trying the best we can, Sokka," Katara assured her brother.

"Well, obviously we're not trying hard enough because hundreds, thousands of innocent people shouldn't have to die!" He exploded finally. Sokka took a few deep breaths, staring each of them down in the quiet before he turned and stormed outside again.

From the other side of the room, Ty Lee saw the whole thing. She watched Sokka leave sadly, contemplating what to do for a moment. She and Sokka had never been close friends or anything, but they were sort of acquaintances, and his aura right now? Totally opposite from what it usually was. She bit her lips together, twisting the cloth of her hakama tightly in her hands. He needed someone right now, and since none of his closer friends seemed willing to be that someone, Ty Lee decided to take it upon herself to go comfort him.

She sneaked through the back of the building, avoiding a potential questioning from the rest of team avatar. She figured he'd be back down by the sea, and sure enough, he was, sitting on a big rock. Ty Lee stayed a significant distance behind him, for she heard him speaking and didn't think it was her place to interrupt.

Sokka held one leg up to his chest, resting his chin on his knee, staring out at the sea again.

"I promise you," He whispered, "Suki, I promise you...I will stop this...No matter what it takes...I won't let your death be in vain..."

Ty Lee waited a good minute or two after Sokka fell silent again before she approached him.

"Hey, I just thought you could...use a friend right now," She said sweetly, standing slightly behind him and placing a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather be alone right now," Sokka grumbled.

"I don't think you do," Ty Lee replied, boldly hugging him from behind. Sokka didn't move.

"Why?" He responded curtly.

"Your aura, its really dark. You're lonely," She shrugged, keeping her arms wrapped around him.

"I'm never going to see Suki again."

"Not true. You'll see her again, and she'll always be with you. I don't really think she's the type to ever leave you alone," Ty Lee gave a small laugh in an attempt to raise his spirits. It didn't, but at least he smiled a little.

"Yeah..."Sokka trailed off. Ty Lee sighed and let go of him and moved to his front so that she could look him in the eyes.

"I know everything seems really bad right now, but it'll all work out in the end...I mean, when Azula threw Mai and I in prison, I thought I'd never see the day of light again, but now look at me! Just don't ever give up, okay? On anything," She threw her arms around him for another tight hug. When she pulled away, Sokka nodded. In the blink of an eye, Ty Lee was gone, leaving Sokka to himself to think again.

There was no possible way to talk his friends into changing their ways, they didn't see that they were doing anything wrong. There was also no possible way for Sokka to take them down by force. He was the plan guy, the guy with the brains, not the brawn. If he tried anything, any one of them could have him dead in less than a second.

There had to be a way to make them see the error in their ways, or a way to take them down. But how? Who in the world could take down the Avatar, his waterbending master girlfriend, the Fire Lord and the world's greatest earthbender? Sokka's first thought, the members of the White Lotus society. They would have the power, yes. For a bunch of old men, they were quite the force to be reckoned with, but would they do it? Would they stand up to the Avatar and the Fire Lord? Sokka highly doubted it.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. There had to be someone who could see how Zuko, Aang, Katara and Toph were screwing up the world, ruling it with more of an iron fist than Ozai had been in attempt to keep the peace.

A bright flash of light flew across the sky. Sokka's head snapped up in surprise. Lightning. The crack of thunder followed soon after wards and rain started pouring down on him. He didn't move though, except for the smirk that came to his lips.

Azula.

Azula would want to take down her brother more than anything in the world. She had the power, she had nearly beaten them so many times. She was a brilliant tactician, her plans even more cunning that his. She'd be perfect for the job.

Except for one thing. The fact that she was locked up in a mental hospital because she had completely lost her mind after Zuko and Katara had defeated her. Who knew, though. She had spent the last five years in that place, surely she should have made _some_ progress by now. And even if she hadn't?

It was a chance Sokka was willing to take.

REVIEWS, PLZKTHXBAI


	10. 75 Home

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**075. HOME**

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**

It had been three long, agonizing months that Sokka had spent in the Earth Kingdom. Oh how he hated all of the meetings that he was required to attend as the leader of the Southern Water Tribe. Normally, they didn't bother him so much, but this time around Azula didn't come along to keep him company. When he left, she had been about six months pregnant with their second child. Sokka didn't want to risk anything having her come along. Azula had protested his wishes, of course, making him feel guilty for even having to leave in the first place. He smiled and shook his head, remembering the many arguments he had fought with his wife. Eventually, she did give in and let him leave without her, but not until after she had received one more of his world-class foot massages.

Sokka could feel the air getting colder against his face, a clear sign that they were getting close. A small smile appeared on his lips as he leaned against the boat, staring out at the frigid, ice-berg filled water. He couldn't wait to get home, really. He missed Azula so much. The way her hair would blow in the wind, her gorgeous smile and the way her eyes stood out against her blue surroundings. Her slightly smoky scent, the way she moved and her voice. He missed everything about his wife. This had been the longest length of time they had spent apart since their wedding. Sokka missed his daughter too. He couldn't wait for her to inevitably tackle him and smother him with her undying love.

Idly, Sokka wondered if there would be a new addition to their family by the time he got home. He really would have liked to have been there to see his second child born, but what could he have done? Being a world leader required him to make sacrifices from time to time. Sacrifices sometimes he really didn't want to make, but was forced to anyway. He wondered if it was a boy or a girl. Sokka didn't really care either way, though it would be nice to have another man in their family.

"It'll be really nice to come home again," Katara said suddenly from behind him. She had not visited in a little over a year and was also eager to see the familiar icy plains.

"Mhmm," Sokka responded. Katara smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It must have been hard leaving Azula behind," She said, he nodded.

"You have no idea. We argued for days. She's so stubborn, that woman," Sokka grinned.

"I know you two have been together for a long time, but it still surprises me that you're with her," Katara sighed, shaking her head.

"Twelve years," Sokka said, "'Zula and I have been together for twelve years. Married for nine of them. Been the happiest years of my life, "Sokka explained, getting a laugh out of his younger sister.

"Still seems like you were just telling us all you two were together yesterday," She chuckled, pulling her parka tighter over her body. Sokka shrugged.

"Linkka will be so happy to see you," He said, referring to his daughter.

"She remembers who I am?" Katara questioned, "She's seen me what, three times her whole life?"

"Linkka's like her mother. She remembers just about everything," Sokka said, Katara laughed, giving her brother a quick hug from behind.

"I'm going to go get something to eat, you want anything?" She asked.

"No, I'm good," Sokka smiled. Katara looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Even now, it was rare for Sokka to turn down food.

"You sure?"

Sokka nodded and Katara turned to leave. Sokka pulled the hood of his dark blue parka over his head and slipped on his gloves. He could easily go below the deck to warm up, but he chose not to. Everyone else was down there at the moment and Sokka wanted to be left alone.

Somewhere along the way, he must have drifted off into a light sleep, for the sudden stop of the boat startled him. Sokka rubbed his eyes as people started to trickle up from beneath the deck. Sokka turned his head and saw their village. He always felt a sense of pride when he came home, seeing as how many times the Southern Water Tribe had multiplied in size under his guidance as the chief. People started coming out of their tents and igloos, smiling. Children were laughing and running as fast as their stubby legs could carry them through the snow. Sokka scanned them all, but neither Azula or Linkka were in sight, at least not yet anyway.

Soon, people were piling off the boat, carrying their own belongings. Sokka slung a few bags over his shoulders and gathered the rest in his arms. He was the last to come off the boat, slowly treading through the snow. He looked around the village and took a big whiff of the air. Ah, the smell of arctic hens and sea prunes simmering away. He most definitely missed that smell.

"Daddy!?" A small voice questioned. Sokka whipped his head around, recognizing the voice as his daughter's. A big smile grew on his face as Linkka came into view. The little girl was running full speed towards him, giving him little time to drop his things to return her unavoidable embrace.

"I missed you so much daddy, I thought you were never coming home and that I'd never ever see you again, daddy!" She exclaimed as she launched herself at Sokka. He laughed, picking her up and holding her tight. Her small arms were wrapped around his neck in a heartbeat, holding onto her father so hard that she was nearly strangling him.

"Now, does that sound like something I'd do? I'd never leave you or mommy," Sokka assured her.

"No...but still! You better not ever, ever, ever leave us! We love you too much, daddy!" Linkka cried, burrying her head in her father's shoulder, tears nearly streaming down her face. Sokka rubbed her back comfortingly and kissed the top of her head.

"Firebug, I'm not going to. Next time daddy has a big meeting, you and mommy can come along, alright? And that's a promise, " Sokka told her, she lifted her head and looked at him, her gold eyes glowing.

"Really, daddy!? Really?" She asked with excitement.

"Really, really. I promised, didn't I?" Sokka rubbed his nose against her's affectionately before she pushed herself out of his arms and jumped down to the snow.

"Okay, now daddy, we have to hurry up. Mommy's waiting for us!" Linkka grabbed Sokka's hand and started trying to drag him into the village.

"Hold on, firebug, I need carry my things home," Sokka said, slinging his bags back over his shoulders and holding the rest in his arms. Linkka grabbed on to the fabric of Sokka's parka and started tugging at him. He followed her back to their home, and as they entered, Sokka furrowed his brows, looking around. Things just didn't seem...right. He tossed his bags off to the side and went further inside, heading straight towards the small bedroom he shared with Azula.

Sokka's jaw practically dropped to the floor as he saw Azula laying in bed, her legs spread far apart, her breathing somewhat heavy. There was a midwife there, and Sokka's father was at Azula's side, holding her hand. The baby was coming!

"Impeccable timing, dear," Azula rasped, forcing a smile as she saw Sokka enter the room.

"No kidding," Sokka managed to say, somewhat in a state of shock.

"Glad you could make it, son," Hakoda said with a smile, letting go of Azula's hand and standing up, "I think you can handle it from here, can't you?"

"I...think I can," Sokka said, scratching the back of his head.

"Come on, Linkka, " Hakoda said, picking up the young girl, "Your parents need some time to themselves."

As soon as Hakoda and Linkka were gone, Sokka sat down beside his wife. He wiped the sweat from her forehead and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"How...was the meeting?" Azula asked, leaning into him as much as she could. He took her hand and held it tightly.

"It...was fine...Can't we talk about this later?" Sokka kissed her temple.

"No, its distracting me. I need a distraction since you know, I'm in labor and it doesn't hurt one bit," Azula said with a bit of sarcasm, her grip on Sokka's hand tightning. He smiled, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing each of her knuckles.

"Not too much longer," The midwife smiled up at the couple.

"You said that...an hour ago," Azula complained, Sokka smiled, stroking her hair.

"Azula...Just relax," Sokka tried to hush her, but of course, it didn't work. She grunted from the pain, her hand holding Sokka's in a death grip.

"After this one...we're done. Two is more than enough," Azula mumbled her eyes slipping closed. Sokka chuckled, reaching over and tilting her head to the side.

"I love you, just thought I should let you know that," Sokka whispered, caressing her cheek and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"...How could I...ever forget?" She managed to say, smiling, "I love you too."

After a great deal of pushing , quite a few pained yelps and a column of blue flames coming from Azula's mouth, the room errupted with the cries of a newborn baby.

"Its a boy!" The midwife announced, cutting the cord and picking up the baby, carrying him off to clean him off and bundle him up.

Throughly exhausted, Azula rested her head against her husband's shoulder, her grip on his hand almost loosening completely. Sokka rested his head against hers, watching the midwife carefully. She turned around with a big smile, adjusting the blanket a little bit before kneeling down and handing the baby off to his mother. Azula held the baby protectively against her chest, pulling the blanket back a little to see his face better.

"He's beautiful," Azula said, looking down at her son.

"You're beautiful," Sokka replied, earning him a soft elbow jab from his wife, "Okay, he's beautiful too."

"He has your eyes," Azula commented. Sokka reached into her arms, gently taking the baby from her.

"Yeah, I suppose he kinda does," Sokka agreed.

Not even a minute after the midwife left the family, Linkka came bolting in the room.

"Mommy, daddy!" She exclaimed, going straight for her father who was holding the baby.

"Linkka, that's your new baby brother," Azula said, "I expect you'll be a good big sister to him."

"Good? I'll be the best big sister ever! I'm gonna teach him how to have snowball fights, and how to go penguin sledding, and how to throw a boomerang and how to firebend too!" Linkka said happily, settling herself down beside her mother, latching on to Azula's arm and snuggling up to her.

"We have to see if he even is a firebender first, firebug," Azula chuckled.

"He better be! I want someone to fight with who isn't as good as me, someone I can beat!" Linkka said. Azula looked back at Sokka, who seemed almost in a trance sitting there holding his son.

"Sokka, are you alright?" Azula asked, breaking him from it. He looked down at his newborn son, then at Azula and over to Linkka. The three most important people in his life, right here, right now, in this little room. He kissed Azula's cheek, grinning.

"I'm fine, I'm just _really_ happy to be home."

* * *


	11. 64 Light

* * *

**064.****LIGHT**

**

* * *

**

Azula was blindfolded. She felt absolutely helpless, and that angered her more than anything else in the world. What could Sokka possibly have to show her that she hadn't seen before here at the South Pole? She had been living there for almost a year now! She sighed, frustrated beyond all reason, continuing to let Sokka drag her along through the deep snow.

"Watch your step, its icy up ahead," Sokka said, squeezing her hand and pulling her a little closer to him.

"Well, I would watch my step, if I could see!" She snapped. Sokka only stifled a laugh. He knew this was practically torture for her, but it would be worth it. Oh so very worth it.

"You know what I mean," Sokka replied. Azula grunted, muttering something unintelligible under her breath. She let go of his hand and clung to his arm instead. That way, if she slipped, she'd have a bigger chance of bringing him down with her.

"We've been wandering around in the snow all night. Do you ever plan on taking me back to the village?" Azula questioned, her temper clearly on edge.

"Yes, after I show you what I need to show you!" He explained.

"I think you've gotten us lost," Azula stated.

"No, I know where we are," Sokka said. By the sound of his voice, Azula could tell he was smiling.

"Where are we?" She asked, smirking. Sokka moved behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward, his lips just barely brushing against her ear.

"We're here," He whispered, sending shivers down her spine, "Are you ready?"

Azula nodded. Sokka stepped back a little and reached in front of her. Slowly, he started to pull the blindfold from her eyes, grinning the whole time he did. Once the dark piece of cloth was removed, Azula gasped as she looked around her, all of her angry frustration forgotten.

The dark sky wasn't just speckled with bright, shining stars. Gently, long aqua waves moved against the sky, slowly changing shapes. They swirled and collided against each other, almost like a slow-moving fire. Azula didn't quite know what to make of the beautiful display before her. She fell silent, her awed expression frozen on her face.

"They're almost as pretty as you are," Sokka commented, Azula gave him a light jab before clinging to his arm again, her head resting against his shoulder. She continued to watch the lights contently, snuggling into Sokka as much as she could for warmth. They stood there together for a long time, Azula seemingly in a trance. Sokka's expression slowly turned to a nervous one as he dug around around in his parka for something. Azula still didn't really notice. She briefly glanced up at him, but her eyes immediately darted back to the lights that sparkled all around her.

Sokka nudged her a little, to get her attention, something clasped tightly in his other hand.

"There's a reason I brought you out here," He started, Azula looked up at him, slightly puzzled. His voice was quiet, "I wanted to ask you something, you see..."

"Yes...?" Azula raised an eyebrow. Sokka stepped closer to her, kissing her forehead before going behind her again.

"'Zula, I love you more than...just about everything, so I wanted to know if..." He paused. Azula felt something cool against her neck. Instinctively she reached up to touch it. That couldn't be what she thought it was.... Sokka swallowed hard before he continued, "I wanted to know if you'd marry me...?"

Azula reached behind her head and took the ribbon from his fingers, tying it around her neck. She turned around and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him tenderly, cupping his cheek.

"You had to ask?"

* * *

Have you died of the diabeetus yet?


	12. 42 Betrothed

* * *

**042.****BETROTHED**

* * *

Tomorrow was not a day that Sokka was looking forward to. Tomorrow? Tomorrow was the day all of his hopes of ever being with her would be crushed. She was getting married. To some heartless, thoughtless jerk, no less. It was a little like déjà vu to Sokka. Damn princesses, why couldn't they ever put themselves before their country? Not even for their own happiness? It was frustrating, to say the least.

Walking through the palace, Sokka passed the room where Azula was being fitted one last time in her wedding dress. He paused to watch the maids scurry around the beautiful princess, making last minute adjustments. Sokka bit his lips together. She looked extraordinarily gorgeous, the intricate silks fitting her every curve. She looked like some kind of goddess, though Sokka imagined that was the whole point.

She turned around, catching him standing in the doorway. Her expression instantly went from completely blank to solemn. She bit her lip before abruptly turning away, sticking her nose up in the air. To any one else, her action would have appeared snooty, but Sokka knew it was because she just couldn't stand to look at him right now. Not many things were painful for Azula, but this was. She didn't outwardly express it, but to Sokka it was more than obvious. He remained in the doorway, continuing to admire her ethereal beauty.

It should have been him. She should be marrying him, he should be marrying her. If this had been a different time, a different place, and if they had been different people, maybe things could have worked out in Sokka's favor. In their favor. More than anything, Sokka wished he could be the one to marry her. He'd do anything to spend the rest of his life at her side, but he knew better. He knew better than to put her position of authority in jeopardy. Sokka didn't want to selfishly ruin the life she had been destined to live from the moment she had been born.

After a good, long time, Sokka finally tore himself away from the doorway with a forlorn sigh. He practically dragged his feet down the corridor, hanging his head low. Unlike Azula, Sokka was horrible at hiding his emotions. To anyone passing by, Sokka was obviously depressed. He was fairly certain that no one fully knew his reasons for being so, however. While his friendship with Azula was common knowledge, her status as his lover was unknown. And unknown it would remain.

Sokka found himself in his own quarters then, staring up at the ceiling. His eyelids drooped a little, causing him to drift in and out of sleep. He had barely realized just how tired he had been. But of course, he had to be tired, he had hardly any sleep the previous night. He had spent most of the night tossing and turning about, unable to think about anything else aside from Azula's imminent marriage. He still couldn't think of anything else, which was probably why he was unable to fall completely asleep now.

Quietly, the door to his room creaked open. Hearing it, Sokka rubbed his tired eyes and propped himself up on his elbow. He knew who it was. There was only one person in the world who never knocked on his door before entering, despite the proper and polite upbringing she had. Azula.

She said nothing and just stood there, staring at him. Sokka stared right back at her, his eyes never straying from hers as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. She walked over to him, her graceful steps silent like a cat. She sat down beside him. Sokka wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. He held her tight and she just laid in his arms, hers draped loosely around his shoulders. He kissed the top of her head, breathing the scent of her hair.

"And here I thought the princess was always supposed to have a happy ending," Sokka whispered. Azula tensed up a little, her fingers curling into fists.

"She does, for the rest of the people," Azula snapped, though her voice was quiet. Sokka sighed, stroking her hair.

"That's not fair," Sokka said.

"Nothing in this world is. Sacrificing the happiness of one for the happiness of everyone else is not a new concept, Sokka," Azula explained.

"It shouldn't be this way," Sokka kissed her temple.

"Its tradition."

"Let's break tradition."

"How?" Azula questioned, genuinely intrigued.

"Let's run away."

* * *


	13. 94 Perfume

* * *

**094. PERFUME**

**

* * *

**

Within a few hours, Sokka would be boarding the ship to head back home to the Southern Water Tribe. His father's health was starting to decline, so Sokka wanted to spend some time with him. Sokka was also expected to be the new chief, once Hakoda passed away. Sokka wasn't sure when the next time he'd visit the Fire Nation would be, so now he was spending the last few hours he had searching for one specific thing in the capital city.

Perfume.

Sure, he could get perfume just about anywhere in the world, but he was looking for one special scent in particular and he highly doubted that he'd find it anywhere but here in the Fire Nation. Sokka didn't quite know how to describe the scent. It was certainly floral and very sweet, but there was the slightest hint of musk as well. It wasn't a subtle scent either, it was ridiculously strong. And being exposed to the smell for too long gave him the most unforgiving migraine. But he didn't care, not in the slightest. Even if it made his head hurt like hell, Sokka loved the scent, absolutely adored it. Almost more than the smell of freshly cooked meat. Almost.

The particular scent was almost a trademark of Princess Azula, and that was why Sokka wanted it so bad. There would be plenty of things that Sokka would miss about the Fire Nation once he returned home, but there was nothing he'd miss more than the smell of Azula's perfume other than Azula herself. Not that he'd ever admit that he'd miss the princess. He was way too stubborn for that. Even if he would. A lot. Over the years, Sokka had developed quite the infatuation with Azula, and he liked to think she felt something for him as well.

So now he found himself in the very last perfume shop in the whole city. With a terrible headache from smelling all of the different perfumes. He picked up bottle after bottle, quickly sniffing each before setting it back on the shelf. He was starting to feel awfully dizzy from all the different scents, but Sokka didn't care. He was a man on a mission.

"You know, the cologne is on the other side of the shop, right?" A familiar voice said from behind him. Sokka whipped around to see Azula standing there, a hand on her hip.

"...I'm...not looking for...cologne," Sokka said awkwardly, his face bright red. He then noticed the small bag that Azula was carrying. That had to be her perfume, it just had to be.

"So then why are you looking at perfume?" Azula questioned.

"...Because I like giving myself a headache," Sokka explained, "And now that I have one, I'm just about ready to leave."

"Oh, I see-" Azula started, but then Sokka's hand darted out and snatched the bag from her. Then he ran. As fast as he possibly could. Of course, Azula bolted after him, surprised at his bold move. Sometimes she thought he forgot that she could kill him in an instant if she wanted to.

Sokka turned a corner and seemingly lost her, but it was quite the contrary. Azula just knew exactly where he was headed and knew a faster way of getting there. She knew the city far better than he did, after all. It didn't take her long to run down to the port and find the obviously Water Tribe ship he'd be seeking refuge on. She smirked as she waited for him to come. And then laughed once he was in view. His jaw dropped to the ground when he saw her standing there.

"Hand over my perfume," Azula ordered as Sokka looked for a potential escape point.

"No!" Sokka said, taking a running start and jumping up on the hull of the ship. He grabbed hold of the side and started climbing up. Azula, stayed put on the dock as her mind calculated the reason for the theft. She crossed her arms, grinning as she watched him plop over the side. Once he recovered and was standing again, she stared up at him until she caught his attention. He looked proud of himself for successfully stealing something from her, but he should have known it was because she had let him.

"I'll miss you too," She said over the noise of the sea. Sokka didn't say anything in return, he could only blush.

* * *


	14. 68 Sunset

* * *

**68. SUNSET**

**

* * *

**

Azula leaned up against a palm tree, watching the glistening waves crash against the dark sand. The sky was a mix of orange and yellow, the sun low, barely sitting above the horizon. Azula sighed, running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the wild beast as the wind continued to tease it.

She was absolutely exhausted from spending nearly the entire day on the beaches of Ember Island with Sokka. Now, they had made their way to one of the more secluded spots on the island, giving them some private time. Not that they were taking advantage of that at the moment. Azula wasn't even sure where Sokka was at the moment. He had disappeared a few minutes ago, without an explanation. Azula didn't think it was anything to worry about though, so she stood her ground by the tree and enjoyed the glowing warmth of what was left of the sunlight.

Sokka and Azula had been friends for quite some time now and the two were usually inseparable. To anyone on the outside, it was obvious that they cared for each other deeply. He was just about the only person who Azula trusted. They appeared a bit like siblings, though everyone on the inside saw it a little differently. In truth, their relationship was probably closer to being romantic than sibling-like. It was a complete secret, but Azula believed the term for her relationship with Sokka was "friends with benefits."

"Hey, 'Zula," Sokka said, some distance away from her. She cocked her head to the side, glancing in the direction of his voice. Immediately, Azula's eyes went slightly wide and her mouth hung agape. Sokka stood there, his hands on his hips in a superhero pose. He was also completely in the nude.

"What are you doing?" She asked him skeptically as he started to walk closer to her.

"Why else would I be naked?" He answered, his voice borderline seductive.

"We're going to get caught," Azula told him, he shrugged, pulling her away from the palm tree and into his arms, her back against his bare chest.

"I thought you said this was one of the most private parts of the island?" He questioned, grinning.

"It is."

"Then what are you worried about?" Sokka whispered, tightening his hold on her. He kissed her temple, then her cheek. She tilted her head towards him, putting her face at the perfect angle for him to kiss her lips, which he did. He slowly lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with gentle passion. She kissed him in return, her hands moving across the muscles of his arms. Azula licked at his bottom lip a little. He parted his lips and let her enter, his tongue meeting hers. Sokka strengthened the intensity of the kiss a bit, one of his hands reaching across her body and cupping her breast. He kneaded it a few times before his hand moved up a little, tugging at the strap of her dress. He pulled it down on her arm a little, nearly exposing her.

Without warning, Azula broke the kiss. Both were breathing heavily, both had unexplainable expressions on their faces.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sokka asked, kissing her cheek again.

"No..." Azula trailed off, her eyes focused forward at the magnificent display of colors before them. She looked confused, conflicted. Sokka ran his fingers through her hair as a comforting gesture.

"What's wrong then?" He murmured. For what seemed like eons, the only response to his inquiry was her silence.

"Sokka," She started with a sigh. She looked back at him, almost paralyzed by the concerned look on his face. She tore her gaze away and looked back at the sky.

"What?" He cupped her cheek, caressing it, hoping to get an answer out of her.

"I think...I think I'm in love with you."

* * *

Okay. Are you guys dead from the diabeetus YET!?!?!

Inspired by this pic~ http : // waterbender196 . deviantart . com / art / I-think-I-m-in-love-with-you- 107259779 GO CHECK IT OUT.


	15. 53 Confessions

* * *

**053. Confessions

* * *

**

Alright. So that was quite possibly the stupidest reason to get in an argument over. At least that's what Sokka thought in retrospect. Especially since Azula hadn't even looked at him in the past week, let alone talked to him.

He was kind of going crazy.

Were they still together, or was this her way of breaking up with him? Because if they weren't together anymore, Sokka thought he just might go a little more crazy. He missed having her around. He missed the way she talked, the way she walked and even all the insults.

He moped around the palace, earning himself a more than a few giggles from the servant girls.

"Oh, he looks so pathetic!"

"But he's cute when he's pathetic!"

"I wonder how much longer it'll take before he'll go talk to her majesty!" They gossiped between themselves. Sokka overheard them and what they were saying made him kind of angry. Okay. More like really angry. He'd never in a million years give in to her! He'd never ever let her know she'd won!

...

...Three hours later Sokka was running around the city looking for a flower shoppe that was still open. He needed a bouquet! Of lilies! They were the only flowers that Azula wouldn't burn on the spot!

There was one. One! And the shopkeeper was closing up for the day by the time Sokka spotted it. So he ran faster. And almost ran right past the shop. Thank the spirits that there was an empty cart there to stop him! He tripped over it, falling face first on the pavement. At least that got the shopkeeper's attention.

"Are you alright?" The middle-aged woman asked, sorting through the debris to help Sokka up.

"I...I'm...okay...yep...totally fine," Sokka said brokenly, trying to catch his breath. He grinned. The woman looked at him skeptically.

"Mmhmm. You definitely look fine, hun," She said, "So what do you need?"

"Lilies...don't care...what color," Sokka panted, holding up a few silver pieces. The woman went to dig through her large assortment of flowers to find a bouquet of lilies. She found one of pink and red flowers and brought it out to Sokka.

"I hope these will do," she smiled taking the silver pieces and giving Sokka a few copper pieces as change, "Must be some girl you're after."

"Oh, you...have no idea," Sokka said, getting a dreamy look in his eyes, "She may be...kinda cranky and bossy...and a whole bunch of other stuff...but Azula is the best...girl in the world."

"..._Princess_ Azula?" The woman looked at Sokka with surprise. Sokka nodded.

"The one and only!"

"Good luck, kid," She shook her head. That boy most certainly had a death wish.

"Thanks," Sokka said before speeding off back towards the palace. And it just seemed like he had caught his breath too! But there wasn't a second to spare. He had had had had to talk to Azula. As soon as possible.

Every few seconds Sokka had to pause to catch a bit of his breath back, and by the time he had reached the palace, it was almost nightfall.

"Where's Azula?" He asked the first person he saw. The servant pointed towards Azula's chambers.

"In her room, I'm assuming..."

"Right," Sokka headed towards her chamber, clutching the bouquet tightly to his chest.

He banged on her door.

"Azula!" Gasp, gasp, "Azula, I need to talk to you, " gasp, gasp.

Silence.

"Come on, Azula! Open...up!" Sokka pleaded through the door. After a few more seconds, he heard her footsteps growing closer to him. She cracked the door open and gave him the most murderous of glares.

"What?" She demanded immediately, a hand on her hip.

"I got these for you," Sokka held out the bouquet of lilies. Azula's glare turned into a look of skepticism. She took the bouquet from him and opened her door further.

"Come in," She said, setting the flowers on one of her dressers.

"So...uh....how are you?" Sokka asked, blush creeping to his cheeks. Azula glared at him again.

"Wonderful," She replied, crossing her arms across her chest, looking impatient.

"So...I wanted to tell you...that I...uh..."

"Get on with it," Azula snapped.

"Well, I've kinda...well...you know...missed you...and stuff."

"And stuff?" Azula raised her eyebrow.

"You know what I mean!" Sokka interjected, getting more and more embarrassed. He couldn't believe he was giving in to her.

"Go on," She urged, her tone bored.

"And I wanted...to say I'm...sorry and that I've...kinda realized something..."

"What?"

"I know its only been...a week, but...I figured out that...my life? It totally sucks without you," Sokka said, sounding kind of desperate. Azula snorted. "I know, I know, it sounds really cheesy and stupid, but I really can't help it and-" Sokka tried to explain himself but Azula cut him off. With her lips.

She kissed him hard, pulling him down to her level.

"Just shut up," She said before kissing him again. Sokka smiled against her lips, his arms wrapping around her middle. Guess this was just her way of saying 'apology accepted'.

* * *

Dawww~ Something sweet just in time for SINGLE'S AWARENESS DAY.

Enjoy~


	16. 31 Mother

* * *

**031. MOTHER

* * *

**

After she had been reunited with what was left of her family, Ursa immediately had zoned in on one person who was missing.

"Where's your sister?" She had asked Zuko. Zuko smiled down at her.

"You just missed her actually. She left about a week ago," Zuko explained.

"Where did she go?" Ursa inquired.

"Southern Water Tribe. She married the chief," Zuko replied. Ursa looked up at her son with a slightly dumbfounded expression. Azula? Married? South pole? It didn't make much sense to Ursa.

"The chief?" Ursa questioned.

"Mhm. He's a good man. One of my best friends. He'll take good care of her," Zuko responded.

"And he makes her happy?"

"Happier than anything, I'd say," Zuko explained.

"Well...I'm certainly disappointed I missed her...but I'm glad she's found happiness," Ursa said, and then dropped the subject. She would have liked to know more, but she felt pushing it further would have been rude...

...But over the course of the next ten years, though, Ursa often wondered about Azula, how she was doing. She met Azula's husband twice over those years, but never actually met Azula again. Both times Ursa had encountered Sokka, Azula had been unable to come. Though Sokka made it very clear that she probably would have loved to be there in the Fire Nation where it was warm.

Ursa knew that Azula had two children. A boy and a girl. And one was a slightly prodigious firebender. The girl was no where near being the prodigy Azula had been, but she was definitely ahead of most children her age. The boy, the younger of the two, wasn't a bender at all. Ursa had heard he was quite good at ice fishing. That was all she knew, though. Just like she hoped to meet Azula, she hoped to meet her grandchildren.

When Ursa heard that Azula was going to accompany Sokka this year, she was overjoyed to know she'd get to see Azula again. The last time she had seen her daughter had been when she was nine years old, after all.

But then came the question of what she'd say to Azula. It had been so long and Ursa was more than aware of what Azula thought of her. She kept pushing those thoughts away, hoping that the words would just come to her when she saw her daughter.

Before she knew it, of course, a tiny fleet of Water Tribe ships was arriving in the Fire Nation port. Ursa traveled down to the docks with Zuko and the rest of the welcoming party, wanting to see if she'd even recognize Azula.

People started piling out of the lead ship. Ursa spotted Sokka almost instantly. He was pretty easy to pick out. Shortly after him, a woman appeared, two children following her close behind. Her hair was dark and long, just past her waist. Braids looped around her face in a typical Water Tribe fashion. She was beautiful, to say the least. The woman scanned the docks for something, ordering her children. Her eyes fell on Ursa's. Azula. That was Azula.

The little boy tugged at Azula's arm, causing her to look away. She told him something and pointed towards the palace, a big smile on her face. That wasn't the kind of smile Ursa ever expected to see from Azula. Ursa never remembered Azula smiling so lovingly at anything...

That was only the first time Ursa felt a pang of guilt hit her that week.

The next day she found her granddaughter, Linkka, sitting in a secluded hallway, playing with a few dolls. Dressing them up, brushing their hair, talking to them, just doing what little girls normally did with their dolls.

Ursa watched her for quite a while. She said nothing, not wanting to disturb the child, but also because she had never been formally introduced to the child and Ursa didn't know how she'd react.

She also kept silent because there was nagging feeling of guilt again.

Ursa tore herself away from the young girl, finding something else to keep her busy.

But every time she let her mind wander, that guilty feeling started creeping up on her.

She tried to think about what she'd say to Azula again, but she still couldn't think of anything.

Three days passed. Ursa still had no idea what to say or when she'd say it.

On the fifth day, Ursa woke up, pulled herself out of bed and said she was going to say something. Anything. After getting dressed and eating a small breakfast, Ursa grabbed a loaf of bread and headed down to the palace gardens. She had heard Azula and her family were planning to feed the turtleducks this morning.

And they were. When the family came into view, Ursa stopped in her tracks, paralyzed.

Sokka, Azula and their two children were all sitting near the turtleduck pond. Sokka leaned up against a tree observing them, throwing out a bad joke or two when one applied. The children giggled as Azula would send a disapproving look Sokka's way.

That guilty feeling hit her so hard it physically hurt this time.

Hinto, the young boy, tore a large chunk of break off his loaf. He smiled and then threw the piece at an unsuspecting duckling. He laughed. Azula immediately slapped his hand and scolded him fiercely for his actions. She then grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to a quiet spot in the gardens, putting him in a time out. She then returned to the rest of her family. Linkka had picked the unsuspecting duckling out of the water and was petting it, trying to comfort it after what her baby brother had done to it.

Ursa bit her lips together and clutched her chest. Another feeling was starting to creep up on her as well.

Azula sat beside her husband near the tree. He lovingly set a hand over hers. They kissed.

How was it that this family was so perfect? Why were they so perfect? They were really no different than her family had been, correct? Ursa already knew the answer to that. They were very different from her family. And Ursa knew exactly why.

Linkka picked up a stick and started poking around in the pond, looking for something interesting. After a few moments, she found a small frog. Then she was on the prowl. She hunted the frog down until she accidentally fell into the pond. Sokka laughed and Azula just smiled before getting up to help her daughter out of the pond. Linkka shook herself off and complained about being wet. Azula simply told her something along the lines of 'you're always all wet when we're home. You'll dry off in no time here.'

The defining factor was _her_, Ursa. She always knew she hadn't paid nearly enough attention to Azula as she probably should have, but when she had been younger, it had just been so hard to. She had usually been busy terrorizing small animals, teasing her brother or practicing her firebending...It always seemed as if Azula didn't really _need_ the attention...

_But that was no excuse._

Azula walked back over to the quiet side of the gardens to where Hinto was still sitting. She sat down in front of him and started talking. The two exchanged words a few times before Azula hugged him and led him back over to his sister and father. She pulled Linkka next to her too and suggested something with a smile. Both of their faces lit up. Hinto bolted in some random direction, laughing. Linkka followed after him, also laughing. Azula sighed, her eyes following them as they chased each other through the gardens.

They reminded Ursa of Zuko and Azula when they had been younger...

Only one wasn't trying to traumatize the other. They were just playing like kids do.

This is what Ursa had always wanted her family to be. Maybe they just had never been destined to be that happy and in love with each other...But Ursa still couldn't help but feel guilty. Maybe if she had tried harder. Maybe if she had tried to pay just as much attention to Azula, maybe they could have had a happy family...

She also started to recognize what that other feeling she had was. _Jealousy._ Ursa was jealous of her daughter. More jealous than she should have been.

How could Azula be such a wonderful mother when she couldn't be? Ursa just didn't understand...

Maybe Azula really had changed as much as Zuko had been saying in the past fifteen years, but to Ursa it just seemed so unlikely... With the way she had idolized Ozai so much...And how set in her ways she had always been...

_Too many maybes._

Linkka and Hinto continued to chase each other around the gardens, giggling and just having fun. From all the running, Linkka's clothes were almost dried, but still a little muddy.

Not seeing the tree root coming up quickly in front of her, Linkka tripped over it, falling face first into the grass. Hinto stopped in his tracks. All activity in the garden fell silent. Sokka and Azula both stood up immediately and started heading over to where Linkka had fell.

But Hinto beat them to her. He ran the short distance back to his big sister and smiled down at her before offering a helping hand. She reached up and took it. Hinto helped her to her feet and grinned, thanking him.

Ursa looked away. She felt so...ashamed. Zuko and Azula would have never helped each other like that...

Ursa turned and walked back into the palace, surprised that the happy family hadn't noticed her standing in the shade watching them. But they seemed so oblivious to the world around them, only concentrating on each other. Ursa held back a grimace, running a hand through her gray hair.

And she still hadn't said _anything_ to her daughter.

After seeing what she had seen, after feeling what she had felt, Ursa questioned whether or not she even had the courage to say anything to Azula anymore.

Needing a refreshing glass of water, Ursa wandered down towards the kitchen, not even bothering to order for a servant. With her glass of water, she sat down on a divan in the hall, staring up at the tall ceiling. A set of footsteps caught her attention.

And there was that beautiful Water Tribe woman again. But her eyes weren't so soft this time when they realized who they were looking at.

"Azula," Ursa breathed, looking somewhat astonished.

"Mother," Azula responded.

All of those emotions came back to Ursa like a flash flood, rendering her unable to speak for quite some time. Azula stayed put, however, her eyes never leaving her mother's.

Ursa sighed and took another sip of water.

"Azula, you have a beautiful family," Ursa said finally. Azula cocked her head to the side, looking puzzled. She thought about that statement.

Out of politeness, Azula replied with a simple "Thank you." Then she just walked away, continuing on with her business.

Azula never really needed her, Ursa concluded sadly. Her gaze fell towards the marble floor as Azula's footsteps faded away...

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**A/N**: I'm sure the universe thinks I'm an idiot for making Azula so OOC in this. WELL, I THINK SHE'D BE A KICK ASS MOM. REALLY. lololol

Reviews, plz?


	17. 60 Cold

My Apologies for neglecting my Sokkla100 challenge~ I've been devoting all my time to p a i n t. Go read it if you haven't already! Things are starting to get really exciting!

This was just a quickie written to cheer up my BFFL/Sister.

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060. COLD**

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She looked so beautiful with her hair in braids and loops. A dark blue parka and mukluks seemed to fit her so well. It was so easy to pretend she'd be here forever when she fit in with his family so nicely. Gran-Gran was trying to teach her how to prepare the sea prunes, but that was proving to be difficult as Azula's normally precise and perfect hands became clumsy while wearing thick gloves. And it didn't really help that Hakoda kept trying to joke with her.

She laughed a little. She restrained herself, of course, but that sweet little sound pierced through the cold winter air and rang like music in his ears and it made him smile.

He walked up behind her, placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see him standing there. She smiled.

"Come on, " Sokka said offering her his hand, "I don't think you'd like sea prunes anyway."

"Alright," She said, taking his hand and standing up. She brushed some snow off her lap. Sokka lead her away from the group a bit and kissed the top of her head.

"You look happy today," He whispered.

"Its cold," She frowned, "I can hardly feel my toes."

"You can go inside and warm up if you want," Sokka explained, pointing at the mess of huts and igloos.

"I like it here."

Sokka didn't know if she meant she just liked standing here with him or if she meant she liked living with the tribe. Either way, she was making it hard to let go. Who knew he'd grow so attached to this broken little girl? As each day passed, he wanted her to stay here more and more. But he knew she'd have to go home sooner or later. He sighed and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm glad you do."


End file.
